


Rewrite the Stars: Volume 2

by DCMarvelGirl1997



Series: Rewrite the Stars [2]
Category: Marvel (Comics), X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Planet, Alien Sex, Alien/Human Relationships, BDSM, F/M, Gen, Oral Sex, Panic Attacks, Politics, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Telepathic Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:07:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28368147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DCMarvelGirl1997/pseuds/DCMarvelGirl1997
Summary: Written in collaboration with MarvelMaster616: the followup to volume 1 of Rewrite the Stars. Previously, Jean Grey has made the ultimate sacrifice, selflessly saving her teammates. But what happens when she bonds with an interstellar entity? And what's in store for Imperial Guard members and Summers brothers, Scott and Alex, as they venture back to Earth? See Chris Claremont's Phoenix Saga reimagined.
Relationships: Cal'Syee Neramani/Scott Summers, Candy Southern & Warren Worthington III, Charles Xavier & Lilandra Neramani, Cyclops/Deathbird, Jean Grey/John Proudstar, Jean Grey/Scott Summers, Lorna Dane/Bobby Drake, Phoenix Force/Jean Grey
Series: Rewrite the Stars [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841566
Comments: 12
Kudos: 6





	1. Enter the Phoenix

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings! DC-MarvelGirl1997 here with the sequel to MarvelMaster616 and I's creation Rewrite the Stars! In this AU, Scott and Alex's backstory was reimagined, where instead of being separated after the plane crash, they get taken in by D'Ken Neramani of Chandilar who raises them to be soldiers. In this volume, we witness the events of the Phoenix Saga change forever. 
> 
> 'This here means psychic communication and thoughts.' 
> 
> Once more, I greatly appreciate any reviews that you leave, because any feedback helps. Given no one has reviewed volume 1, I encourage you to go back and do so, letting me know your thoughts on the story. 
> 
> Also, like with the first volume, I need to leave this warning that this story contains graphic sexual content. So if you aren't of the age or maturity to view this material, press that back button on your screen. You've been warned. 
> 
> Another note: I do not own any of these characters. Marvel and Disney do. But I do wish that Marvel would hire me to write for them. A girl can dream though. 
> 
> Again, be sure to leave reviews and kudos, and enjoy Rewrite the Stars Volume 2!
> 
> Excelsior!

**Issue 1: Enter the Phoenix**

**Xavier Institute for the Gifted – Three Years Ago**

“Thank you for the night out, Johnny. I had a really nice time tonight,” said seventeen-year-old Jean Grey. 

“You’re welcome, Jean. Any bit of normal helps,” said John. 

“Very true. But last I checked; we aren’t normal. We’re freaks of nature with powers beyond imagination, trying to protect a world that hates and fears us,” mused Jean as she stayed on her boyfriend’s arm. 

“And with mutants like Magneto and his Brotherhood, we’ve got more responsibility than most,” John said. 

Jean hummed, before saying, “And with that responsibility came uniforms, codenames, and facing potential backlash from the rest of the world.” 

“Are you saying you regret it somewhat?” 

“Regret it? Hell no,” Jean said, smiling. “I’ve got no regrets being Marvel Girl, much like how I’ve got _no_ regrets in wanting to date you.” 

John smiled at Jean’s words, and leaned down to give her a fervent, passionate kiss. Jean in turn wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him in closer to her as she deepened the affectionate gesture. 

Never once did Jean Grey nor John Proudstar think they could have this. The former mental patient from a broken home and disgraced former marine had come together just recently. This having been their sixth date; John’s hesitations were thawing away each time they went out. At first, John had been hesitant to go out with Jean, given the age gap between them. 

But Jean had been so assertive. She wanted to embrace John in a special, intimate way and experience what love looked like. After having seen so much instability in her childhood, Jean needed and wanted love. She had a passionate heart, and an even more passionate mind. She believed in Xavier’s dream for peace between mutantkind and humankind, and her passion to make Xavier’s dream a reality never wavered once. 

But when she and John began dating, her heart opened to other passions. Now, standing in the hallway kissing her boyfriend, Jean felt John’s mind slowly opening as he projected to her all his feelings that he had for her. It only encouraged Jean to be more assertive, and she deepened the kiss even more so. She even slipped him a little tongue, allowing a quiet, contented moan to come past her lips. When she and John pulled back for air, Jean breathed to him her request. 

“Johnny, you know what I want tonight.” 

Jean pulled his head away from hers slightly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop her from going further. 

“Jean, I know you’ve got desires,” John told her. “Think about this rationally for a second. I know you’re looking to experience passion, but there’s a lot to consider here.” 

“Johnny, please do not get into age differences,” said Jean, shaking her head. “You tried making that excuse before the first date.” 

“No. It goes beyond just the age gap,” John told her. “For one, you’re still a virgin. The last thing that I want is to rush this. I want it to be special, because the first time for you might be painful. It might even be awkward given your lack of experience. Plus, there’s also the matter of using protection.” 

“Johnny, protection isn’t something for you to worry about,” whispered Jean. “I’m on birth control. It helps regulate my cycle.” 

John nodded. “But it still comes back to me wanting to make sure you enjoy it, Jean. We’ve got to be _gentle_ and _careful_ about this. There’s a chance, due to my strength and my invulnerability powers, that I could cause you pain. The last thing I want is to hurt you in any way. We need to do this the right way.” 

“But I trust you, Johnny,” Jean said. “Isn’t that enough?” 

“Trust isn’t the issue, Jean. And you know it,” said John, shaking his head. “I just want to take the time with it all so that you’re safe, regardless.” 

Jean sighed. John was always so considerate of her and so protective. And the fact that he wanted to be conscientious and considerate so her first time was special made her heart swell. John was so affectionate and romantic, a side of him that Jean hadn’t seen until they started dating. Now, standing there in her boyfriend’s embrace, she appreciated the thought. 

‘He’s so cute when he acts all disciplined and protective,’ she thought, staring into those dark brown eyes of John’s as she reached a hand upward to caress his face. 

“Okay, caution it is,” she decided to say, continuing to stare into his eyes. 

“Good.” With that said, John leaned down and captured Jean’s lips in another affection kiss, except this time, it was a little more passionate, slow, and romantic. 

When their lips touched, John reached his hands up to cradle Jean’s cheeks in his powerful hands. He stroked her face gently before smoothing his hands into her long, flaming red hair. As he did this, his tongue slipped into Jean’s mouth as Jean gave him tongue. 

Their tongues intertwining, John pulled Jean even closer into his arms, keeping his arms tightly around her waist before adjusting his arms underneath her. One of his arms slipped underneath her knees so he could lift her up, bridal style. His other arm stayed underneath her shoulders as her arms stayed intertwined around his neck. 

The gentle, passionate kissing continued as John held her in his arms. But what he wasn’t prepared for was Jean adjusting her form as she wrapped her legs around his waist like a horny teenager. 

Suddenly, John was reminded that Jean _was_ still a teenager, even if she was of legal age. But it was still daunting knowing they were dating. Jean kept her legs wrapped firmly around John’s waist as his hands moved down to touch her butt. Jean moaned as John gave her butt a gentle, yet firm, squeeze. As they broke for air from the kiss, John whispered to her huskily. 

“Are you ready to have sex with me tonight?” he asked. 

Jean nodded. “Yes,” she whispered, her passion practically saturating her voice as she stayed locked in his arms. And with that said, John proceeded to carry her off to her bedroom, knowing full and well how badly Jean wanted this.

‘Might as well start in her bedroom. After all, it’s where we shared our first kiss,’ thought John as he continued holding her in his arms. 

As he carried Jean to her room, he continued the passionate kissing, intensifying it along the way by slipping her more tongue. As they kissed, Jean moaned into it, her tongue practically engulfed by John’s lips as she telekinetically opened her bedroom door. She closed it by telekinesis and locked it for safe measure, knowing full and well what they were about to do required privacy. 

And Jean could have sworn that John was prolonging the walk towards her queen-sized bed. However, he took every moment to kiss her thoroughly before laying Jean down on the bed, against the pillows. Despite laying her down, he didn’t disentangle his body from hers. In fact, he stayed right on top of her, keeping up with the fervent, deep kissing. They hadn’t even bothered with kicking off their shoes as they continued the passionate make-out session. John kept slipping Jean tongue, kissing her a little harder on the lips as he felt Jean’s hands traveling to trace the muscles on his chest and arms. 

Feeling Jean’s soft hands touching him over his dress shirt, John’s hands blindly traveled to feel Jean up over her clothes. For their date, she’d only worn a tight, black pencil skirt and a black, ruffled blouse. John’s hands traveled all over her hourglass form, as if to trace every inch of her body before his hands squeezed her butt once more. Somehow, they both managed to sit up, which bought Jean some time to kick off her heels and for John to toe off his own shoes. 

Once their shoes were off, they continued the make-out session. John kept kissing Jean deeply, slipping her tongue here and there as Jean closed her eyes. She did not know how long John stayed there, kissing her on the lips and slipping her tongue. But before she knew it, she felt John trailing his kisses from her lips to her jawline and neck. His lips worked downward, slowly kissing Jean’s neck and throat before his hands reached to grab the hem of her blouse. With controlled hands, he unbuttoned Jean’s blouse and pulled it away from her form, leaving her in a black lace bra. 

Taking in that she was now in just her bra, Jean felt her nervousness now sinking in. She never once exposed herself to a man before. Now, she lay here on her bed, half-exposed to her boyfriend of a whole month. Just knowing John was slowly getting her naked made her heart flutter fast.

‘Oh, gosh!’ thought Jean. ‘I – I’m actually about to do this. I’m going to have sex with this man. He’s taking my clothes off. It . . . It’s so strange, yet it feels so good!’ 

With Jean’s upper body now halfway exposed, John glanced down at her breasts, which were held by her bra. He was tempted to peel her bra away and begin massaging her breasts. But John also knew how important foreplay was. He wanted to make sure every moment of this was special for Jean. With that in mind, he trailed his kisses from her neck to her shoulders, his tongue grazing the skin of her right shoulder. And he did it slowly, too, taking every second to kiss and taste every inch of Jean’s borne flesh, until he was finally kissing the tops of Jean’s breasts. 

The minute Jean felt John’s lips on the flesh of her breasts, it caused her to moan contentedly. That, in combination with John being on top of her and displaying so much control, led to her feeling a moist heat in between her legs. Upon feeling the moistness and heat there, Jean let out a small gasp of surprise. 

And John kissed her from her breasts to all the way back up her neck and jaw. The prolonged kissing in combination of her exposed skin from the top up led to Jean’s panties suddenly feeling a little more moist. 

“Ohhhh!” she moaned, rubbing her thighs together as she felt how moist her pussy was becoming. 

John remained determined to prolong the foreplay to moisten her panties even more. He kept kissing her all over her exposed chest, shoulder, and neck area. His tongue licked at her skin softly as he searched for all her sweet spots. But the longer he kept it up, the warmer Jean’s pussy felt. She rubbed her thighs together a little more as she felt John sitting her up and turning her around so her back was to him. She then felt his hands massaging her back and shoulders while he trailed kisses against her back to help her relax. 

As John massaged her to get rid of knots of any tension, he pushed her down so she was laying on her stomach, face pressed into her pillows. Rubbing her back, John pressed passionate kisses against her back, kissing her all over before he trailed his lips down to her lower back. Jean groaned as John kissed her back, his tongue licking at the borne flesh before he gave her butt another squeeze. He then unclasped Jean’s bra as she sat back up, leaning her head back as she felt her C-cup breasts free. 

Upon laying on her back again, Jean couldn’t help feeling a little shy. This was her first time topless in front of John. And as John knelt over her, mesmerized by the sight of her breasts, she blushed slightly, hardly able to help it. 

“Jean,” whispered John, taken by the sight of her beautiful, well-developed breasts.

“Like what you see?” whispered Jean, feeling her face flush. 

“Yes. Very much,” breathed John. 

“Since you took my top off, let me do the same for you,” said Jean. 

John nodded, watching as Jean’s shaking hands reached upward to unbutton his shirt. But John held her hands to steady them, helping her open up his dress shirt until he knelt over her with his chest exposed. Jean pulled the shirt off his muscular form, and she found herself grow hornier at the sight of John’s bare skin. 

With shaking hands, Jean traced his abs, pecks, biceps, and triceps slowly, as if to memorize every inch of John’s naked skin. She gently pawed his chest while John affectionately reached down to start rubbing her breasts. Upon feeling John’s hands on her C-cup breasts, Jean felt the moisture in her panties growing a little more with each gesture they shared. 

And John’s hands were gentle and playful as he rubbed her breasts in his strong grasp. He gave them gentle squeezes and pinches, before he lowered his head down to lick the fleshy orbs. His tongue trailed over Jean’s soft nipples, but he could see they were already hardening the more he rubbed her breasts. And Jean kept on rubbing his chest, taking it all on. 

“Ohhhh!” Jean gasped, breathless. “That . . . oh, gosh! That feels so good!” 

“I’m glad,” said John huskily, continuing to knead her fleshy orbs in his powerful hands. 

The pair continued this intimate touching until John reached his hands under Jean to pull off her skirt. His fingers found the zipper, and he unzipped the back of the skirt, pulling it down. It left Jean in just a pair of black panties. 

Upon realizing she was almost completely naked; Jean felt her heart beating a little harder from nerves. Luckily, John massaging her breasts again and kissing her all over her torso helped relax her instantly. Never one to leave anybody hanging, Jean used her telekinesis to unzip and pull down John’s dark-wash jeans, leaving him in a pair of tight, white boxers. That was a good thing, considering his endowment was already bulging with arousal. But John ignored that. He had a girlfriend to keep relaxed and aroused before their first moment of passion. 

So, he just kept kissing her all over her torso, his tongue licking around her stomach, shoulders, and breasts while he massaged the fleshy mounds in his hands. He kept squeezing and pinching Jean’s breasts, feeling her nipples growing a little harder with each pinch and squeeze. 

All the while, Jean’s pussy felt very hot and wet with her growing arousal. Her vaginal folds felt so wet in her panties, to a point where her feminine juices were close to dripping past her underwear. But John was determined to arouse her as much as possible before pulling her underwear off. With one last lick of Jean’s breasts, John’s hands traveled downward until they were grasping the sides of her panties. 

“Alright, Jean, I’m going to take your panties off,” he told her softly. 

“Mmmmmh . . . yes, please, Johnny! Do it!” Jean pleaded, continuously pawing his chest with her soft hands. 

John nodded, and with that, pulled Jean’s underwear off very slowly. And as he pulled down the last article of clothing that Jean had on her body, he trailed soft kisses down her legs, starting from her inner thighs and working his way all the way down until the panties were off her legs. He tossed them aside where the rest of Jean’s clothes were, leaving Jean completely naked before him. 

Upon seeing how wet her vagina was, John knew Jean was very aroused. However, her vaginal folds weren’t nearly swollen enough for him to penetrate her and not cause her any pain. But Jean lay there on the bed, looking at him with those desire-filled eyes as she started rubbing her thighs together to try relieving it. 

“Oooh . . . Oh, gosh!” Jean gasped. “So wet . . . so hot!” 

“I know,” whispered John, smiling down at Jean as he reached a hand forward to touch the top of her pussy. This evoked another gasp from his girlfriend. “But you’re not quite ready yet, Jean. Allow me to do one last thing.” 

Jean nodded, moaning on the bed as she anticipated the next gesture. John pushed her legs apart, and with expert hands, he began fingering and stroking the outer folds of Jean’s pussy softly. He saw Jean’s womanly juices were building up more along with her arousal. Feeling the moistness of Jean’s pussy in his fingers caused his erection to build even more, but John was thinking of Jean and her pleasure, first. 

So, he kept fingering the outer folds of her pussy, before pressing soft kisses along her inner thighs. He then used his fingers to part the inner folds of Jean’s vagina, stroking them and stimulating her clitoris. Upon feeling John fingering her clit, Jean moaned some more. 

“Ooooh . . . Ohhhh Johnny!” whispered Jean. “Your hands . . . so skilled.” 

John smiled, and kept fingering Jean’s clitoris and moist inner folds. He kept kissing her inner thighs, his lips getting closer to her pussy, but not close enough to try oral sex. But once his tongue brushed the outside of Jean’s vagina, it caused Jean to gasp in pleasure again. 

“Do that again!” Jean moaned. 

“As you insist,” John said with a smile, now feeling a little bolder as he used his tongue on the inner depths of Jean’s pussy. 

His tongue licked her clitoris, causing the moisture in Jean’s pussy to grow even more as it got hotter. The combination of John’s tongue and fingers on her clit left Jean’s vagina feeling very swollen, which was exactly what John had been looking to do. With one last lick, he rose to his knees. 

“I think you’re ready,” he whispered, taking in the sight of Jean laying there in a very aroused state on the bed. 

“Ohhh yes! I’m ready!” moaned Jean. “Put your dick into me now!” 

John smiled, leaning over and giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. The next thing that he felt was Jean’s telekinesis yanking his boxers down with a sharp tug. With his manhood now free, it gave Jean a sight of his hard penis. 

Her eyes widened. Never once did she see a man’s endowment hang before her like this. But the sight alone caused her arousal to go into overdrive, her pussy suddenly feeling wetter. Reaching a nervous, shaking hand up, she began to fondle John’s erect cock, jerking him off. 

John gasped sharply at feeling Jean stroking his dick. He could tell how nervous she was. But he calmed her by reaching a hand over to rub one of her breasts, giving the fleshy mound a soft squeeze. This made Jean’s hands stop shaking as much as she jerked him off, stroking him up his shaft before her other hand reached upward to stroke his balls. Just her movements alone seemed to send John into overdrive with his arousal. His cock was slowly dripping with sperm. Upon feeling that, John grabbed her hands and placed them back down at her sides. 

“Alright, Jean, we're going to start now,” John said huskily. 

Jean nodded, feeling her nervousness and excitement go through her. She gasped when John’s hands pushed her legs apart so he could get better access to her pussy. He placed his hands on her hips, grasping them so he could guide his shaft into her inner depths. He started slow, rubbing the tip of his penis against Jean’s folds, until with a thrust, he entered her vagina. 

“Ooooh . . . Oh!” gasped Jean, her vagina in shock at the feeling of a penis inside it. 

Her virgin muscles were very tender and tight, adjusting to the sensation of something so hard inside them. It was a sharp discomfort Jean never once felt. 

“So tight!” grunted John, feeling the tightness of Jean’s muscles around his member. “Jean, take some deep breaths and relax your muscles. I know it may hurt a little now, but I promise, it won’t if you relax.”

Jean nodded, trusting his word. She sucked in a few deep breaths and tried her best to relax the muscles of her pussy. She took a few minutes to just breathe, closing her eyes to calm down. Upon feeling her vaginal muscles relaxing around John’s cock, John sighed. 

“That’s better. Just keep breathing,” John said to her, pulling his dick out of her before giving Jean a moment or two to relish the feeling. 

Once he was sure Jean was relaxed, he entered her again carefully. This time, her vagina was a lot less tight around his member, which allowed him to go in deeper to search for her G-spot. He kept up with the pelvic thrusts, stimulating Jean’s clitoris with each one. 

Underneath him, Jean’s hips thrust up and down as she breathed in short gasps of pleasure. She moaned each time John thrust into her lower depths, stimulating her pussy. Then, when John pulled his dick out of her, he turned her over to a different position to help her reach a climax. He adjusted their bodies until they were laying on their sides so he was spooning her. This position allowed him to rub her breasts while his cock pumped into her pussy, taking her from behind.

John pumped Jean’s pussy with his hard dick, all the while rubbing her breasts in both his hands. This spooning position allowed Jean to experience pleasure at a different angle, opening her to a whole new world of arousal. While she was still in a little discomfort, the pain turned into pleasure as she started moaning again. Underneath them, the bed rocked to a steady rhythm of John humping her. Jean moaned as John squeezed her breasts a little more, being playful about it, too. 

They continued in this position for a moment or two, until John rose from the bed and stood there, grabbing Jean and pulling her into his arms so they were in a standing position. This allowed his cock to enter and leave her pussy while he kept his hands on her butt, squeezing it as he kissed her with a good usage of tongue. 

Their moans harmonized as they both felt they were about to cum. John could just feel Jean was close. And Jean could feel via her telepathy that John was close to shooting off into the depths of her pussy. 

“Mmmmph . . . Mmmmmh Johnny!” moaned Jean in between pants and kisses. “I . . . I’m close! Damn I’m going to cum!”

“Jean!” cried John. “I’m close . . . so close! Let’s cum together now.”

“Yes . . . together,” moaned Jean as John kept stimulating her clit with his dick. His hands gave her butt a nice squeeze. 

Their bodies rocked together as they got closer to their orgasm. But John being the gentleman he happened to be, allowed Jean to experience the orgasmic wave first. 

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Johnny!” she cried, sounding so euphoric as the wetness of her pussy fully released, her vaginal fluids spilling down her legs. It didn’t take too long for John to shoot off his load into her depths.

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh Jean!” John gasped, his cum filling Jean’s depths and spraying through the lower half of her body. As he came, he carried Jean back over to the bed, laying her down before pulling his dick out of her vagina. 

The pair were left lying there, gasping. 

They’d just had sex. 

Jean was no longer a virgin. 

And it felt _amazing._

Jean, never once having thought she’d be deserving of this, felt her eyes fill up with tears. She relished in the afterglow of such passion, panting. John was even considerate enough to grab a tissue and wipe away a little of the virginal blood that got released during the act. Upon John laying down at her side, he grabbed his lover’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Johnny . . . that was amazing,” whispered Jean, feeling John pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead. 

“You deserve the best, Jean,” John murmured, kissing her forehead and her hair. 

Jean’s tears flowed down her face as she snuggled into her boyfriend’s chest, sniffling. “I . . . I never thought I could have something like this,” she whispered. “I’m so happy right now.”

“You deserve to feel something like this,” John whispered. “I don’t care what your father or mother might’ve done. You deserve to be loved, and you deserve to have someone put you first.” 

Jean nodded, sighing contentedly as she closed her eyes. Basking in the warmth of her lover’s embrace, she fell asleep that night peacefully.

* * *

**Aboard the Starcore Shuttle – Present Day**

_“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!”_ Jean Grey screamed out, feeling her body engulf into an inferno as she briefly felt her heart stop. If this were death, it was quite painful. Tears flowed down from her eyes, her memory of her and John’s first time replaying in her mind. 

That had been one of the happiest moments of her life. Just the thought alone of joining John in the afterlife, wherever he happened to be, made her heart swell. At least in heaven, she would be in his arms and would be able to make love with him all she wished. And as she glanced at the Apache Tears bracelet as well as the Rolex watch around her wrist, she couldn’t help but think she would be reunited with her late boyfriend soon. 

‘I guess I’ll see you soon, Johnny,’ she thought tearfully. 

Her entire body burned as the flames enveloped her form. Her head seared with fire. The force of falling from her chair so forcefully left her body feeling aches and pains. 

‘It . . . Oh _God!_ ’ thought Jean. ‘It . . . It hurts. Does death hurt this badly?’ 

Nonetheless, she knew she had to get the ship on autopilot before she took what she hoped not to be her last breath. All the while she collapsed to the floor after successfully putting the ship on autopilot, she heard a soft voice in her mind. It was the voice she only heard in her dreams as she blacked out. But before she could fully faint, she saw pure fire in the form of a bird dancing before her eyes. 

**_“It’s time, Jean,”_** the voice said as finally, Jean lost consciousness.

* * *

**The Starcore Lifecell**

“FUCK!” shouted Logan Howlett. “She shouldn’t have done it!” 

“We wouldn’t have been able to talk her out of it either way,” Warren whispered, his eyes filling with tears at the thought of losing the girl he considered his sister. “Jean was always stubborn. Nobody makes her do anything. She does things . . . because she’s just willing to do the right thing.” 

“Even if it means putting her own life at risk,” said a dazed Lorna Dane as she and Bobby began a quiet prayer in Yidish and then another one in Hebrew for Jean’s safety. 

“I don’t know if prayer would help her, guys,” said Kevin, his tears flowing from his eyes from where he sat beside Hank. 

“It does not mean it isn’t worth trying,” Charles Xavier said numbly, closing his eyes in grief at the thought of what was happening to his foster daughter. 

All the X-Men were worried for their friend. They could hardly believe that Jean Elaine Grey – the best of them all – had sacrificed herself for the good of the team. She’d put her life on the line so she could get the Starcore back to Earth. It was the most bitter pill they all had to swallow. After having lost John, none of the X-Men thought they would be able to handle another death of a teammate. 

Ororo was crying softly in her chair, shaking her head at the thought of losing her friend. Hank had silent tears rolling down his face, his hands folded in prayer. Hank never believed in God, but he would pray if it meant Jean surviving this. Sean had his eyes closed as silent tears rolled down his own face. Jean having been his first student, if he were to lose her, it would be one heavy loss to bear. And all the while, Dr. Peter Corbeau felt his guilt settling in from where he sat in between Piotr and Kurt. 

Logan, however, sat in pure silence. Although he didn’t feel bad in the slightest about kissing Jean nearly a month ago, the thought of losing a woman whom he’d grown attracted to killed the Wolverine inside. She was one of the first, decent things that ever happened to him. She’d taken care of him shortly after he arrived at the institute, and made him feel so human. Although Jean was still angry at him for kissing her, that did not change the way he felt about her. 

Kurt just kept praying the “Hail Mary” in German, hoping that the Mother of God would hear his prayers. While Kurt, Hank, Bobby, and Lorna all prayed, everyone else braced themselves as they entered Earth’s atmosphere once more. Feeling the impact of entering Earth, they all felt their ears pop hard as the air pressure changed significantly for them all. 

Each moment, the shuttle flew down to Earth at a startling speed. But for all the X-Men, it couldn’t get down to Earth fast enough. Knowing that the heart of the team was still in the cockpit, possibly hurt – or even worse, killed – left them all in grief. The thought of Jean being dead caused Warren and Ororo to cry harder. 

‘I hope to the Goddesses that she’s alright,’ thought Ororo, keeping her eye on the door that led to the cockpit. 

However, before they all knew it, they heard a loud, deafening crash as the sounds of waves hit them hard. It sounded as if they’d crashed into a vast sea. Knowing they were now underwater left all of them in a panic. 

“Logan! Clear us an exit!” shouted Ororo. 

“You got it, darlin’,” Logan said, extracting his claws from his fists, slicing a large hole into the side of the lifecell. Ororo used her powers to push the large piece of metal away, giving them an exit. But once it was open, it confirmed to them all that they were sinking to the bottom of the ocean. 

They all sucked in a breath and proceeded to swim back up to the Earth’s surface, with Piotr carrying the professor. Swimming towards the surface, they all felt their worries increasing for Jean, who was probably still in the cockpit, drowning to her death. Once they broke to the surface of the water, they all exhaled their breath, gasping and coughing.

They realized they were all in Jamaica Bay. Warren was the first to comment. 

“Holy shit!” he gasped. “We made it!” 

“Yeah . . . thank God,” gasped Lorna, breathless as she clung onto Bobby. 

“But . . . But where’s Jean?” asked Hank. 

“I don’t know,” Logan said, shaking his head. 

“Professor, can you read her mind?” Kevin asked anxiously. 

Charles shook his head. “No, Morph . . . I cannot sense anything,” he said. 

“So that means . . .?” Ororo started asking, assuming the worst. 

“No, Storm,” Charles said strongly. “Just because I cannot sense her presence does not mean she’s died. Now, we just have to . . .” 

But before Charles could finish his sentence, that was when all the X-Men noticed something to be bubbling in the water. It looked as if there was something steaming hot causing the ocean around them to boil intensely. Additionally, there was a startling, orange light coming from the ocean as steam formed. 

“Everyone, look! There’s something in the water!” shouted Piotr, pointing his finger in that direction. 

“What on Earth is . . .?” Ororo started asking. 

But that was where Ororo got cut off. A loud, booming sound filled the atmosphere as the ocean sprayed upward, and the sight of Jean Grey emerged from the water. 

But she looked unlike anything she ever looked before. Gone were the clothes she’d worn days ago at Rockefeller Center, and they were replaced with an entirely new outfit all together. It consisted of a floor-length, emerald green dress, with a gold-colored sash around the waist and a matching pair of gold heeled shoes that were at least ten inches long. 

But what shocked them all was the dress was strapless, making Jean’s breasts stand out in a remarkable way, and on her right arm, there was a glowing, hot orange brand mark that was shaped like a bird. Behind Jean’s back, there were hot orange flames shaped like a bird’s wings, and her hair whipped around her face. But what surprised them even more was the sight of her eyes, which under normal circumstances would be emerald green. Except now, they were glowing hot orange. 

The next thing they knew, they were all hearing Jean calling out to them in a voice that sounded unlike her own. 

**_“Hear me, X-Men! No longer am I the woman you knew! I am fire! And life incarnate! Now and forever . . . I . . . AM . . . PHOENIX!”_** she yelled out, her voice practically booming. 

However, what startled them even more so was after Jean said those words, she began faltering, as if she were about to faint. 

“I – I . . .” Jean moaned out loud to herself as her eyes closed. “My mind – burning – so many memories . . . sensations . . . pain! Inside . . . tearing me apart!” As she said those words, all her painful memories came at once into her mind. 

They seemed to play out in her mind like scenes from a high-definition movie in full color. The day her father left her, her mother, and her sister . . . the day Sara died . . . the days her mother would drink . . . her time in the mental asylum . . . and John’s death. They all replayed on a seemingly endless loop as she began moaning in pain, before she fully fainted from a dizzy spell. 

However, Ororo and Logan were first to be pulled out of their shock as they quickly swam to where Jean was falling into the ocean. Somehow, they both managed to reach her, with Ororo using her powers to control the air pressure, forming a tornado around Jean to slow her fall. Luckily, this worked as Ororo and Logan both caught her between the two of them. 

Ororo moved her hand forward to grasp Jean’s face into her hand, shaking her slightly. 

“Jean . . . Jean can you hear me?” she whispered. 

“Hnnn . . .” Jean came to with a quiet moan, her eyes slowly opening. That orange glow still resided in her eyes as she blinked. “Is . . . Is everyone okay?” 

“Yeah . . . Yeah we’re okay,” Ororo whispered, hugging Jean closely to her in relief. 

“So . . . let’s go home,” murmured Jean, keeping her head placed on Ororo’s shoulder. 

While all the X-Men were relieved that Jean seemed to be alright, a stark worry hung over them all as they watched Ororo and Logan move Jean back to the shoreline. They could hardly believe what was occurring. 

“How . . . How did she do that?” asked Kevin, still in shock. 

“Did you ever see her do zhat before?” Kurt asked. 

“No, Kurt,” whispered Lorna. 

“But it looks like the power she displayed when we took down Proteus,” said Bobby, taking in Jean’s appearance. 

“I’ll run some tests on her once we arrive back at the institute. She’ll need a full physical,” Hank said, just as bewildered as the others were.

* * *

**Chandilar – Scott’s Quarters**

‘I’m about to go back to Earth,’ thought Scott Summers as he paced his bedroom in the citadel. ‘I still don’t know if I can do this. The last time I’d gone, my mom and dad died. Now . . . I’ve got no choice. I always knew I’d have to go back eventually. But it’s still too painful. I don’t want to, but I have to, regardless of how much it hurts.’ 

Scott was anxious, to say the least. The notion of going back to his home planet where he’d lost so much left him nearly unable to function. He hated that he couldn’t stop shaking the whole flight home from Skrullos. It got to a point where Cal’syee had to take over flying his ship for him. Between the thought of going back to Earth, and revisiting Skrullos, Scott had been left feeling sick with anxiety. 

He felt as if he could hardly breathe as he kept pacing through his room. He struggled to keep his tears out of his eyes. But even then, he found it impossible not to shed a few tears here and there. He was still traumatized years later, between the deaths of his parents and the pregnant Skrull that he’d killed. He oftentimes wondered how he was able to even go out in the field. Gladiator had trained him to repress his emotions and personal feelings. But there were still times that in secret, his emotions overwhelmed his ability to even function. He often surprised himself with how capable he was of going out on patrol duties. 

‘Come on, Summers,’ he thought, angrily swiping his tears off his face. ‘Pull your shit together. You can do this. You’re going to have Alex with you as your companion for this mission. It’s easy. Just go to Earth, track Lilandra, and bring her back here to face her punishment. It _shouldn’t_ be that damn hard. But somehow, it is!’ 

Scott paced and paced, to a point where he wondered he’d put a hole in the floor. Finally, he sat back down on his bed. In his room was his hunting knife, which was stuck to his nightstand. His pistol was also in a box on his closet floor. Rising from his bed, he knelt down to grab his pistol – the very same one Gladiator had gifted him shortly after his thirteenth birthday. 

Scott smiled bitterly, taking the pistol out of its box. 

‘Gladiator somehow thought it would be a good idea to give a thirteen-year-old boy a gun,’ thought Scott, placing the gun on his holster. ‘When D’Ken said he wanted Alex and I to be soldiers, he’d been serious. If only he knew what that could lead into.’ 

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a knock on his bedroom door. 

“Come in,” he said. Turning around, he saw Cal’syee standing there, entering through the threshold. 

“Are you sure you’ll be okay to go back to that scum of a planet you’d been born on?” Cal’syee asked. 

“Earth’s not scum, last I checked, Cal’syee,” Scott said, shaking his head. “And I have to. If I don’t, I’ll just let my fears dictate my life.” 

“But I can still tell you’re affected by it,” Cal’syee said, a touch of empathy in her tone. 

“Of course I am, Goddammit!” Scott said, shaking his head. “I . . . I still have nights where I can’t sleep. Ever since that damn stealth exercise Gladiator made Alex partake in, I haven’t been able to eat. And these past few weeks have been affecting my performance out in the field. I’m surprised Gladiator and D’Ken are _letting_ me out there considering I can’t go out on patrols without having a Goddamn panic attack!”

“That’s because they’ve got faith in you. You’re the best of all of us,” Cal’syee whispered. 

Scott shook his head again. “I don’t see how,” he said honestly. 

“I think you’re being a bit too hard on yourself,” Cal’syee whispered. 

“What else would you expect of me, Cal’syee?” Scott retorted. “I should win a medal for being hard on myself.” 

Cal’syee shook her head at him. “Scott, your best is good enough. So, relax. You taught me that I shouldn’t allow my past mistakes to define me. Now, I am telling you that you shouldn’t allow your past to hold you back. You’ve got a good heart there, Summers, and I know that when you go back to Earth that you’ll make the right decisions. You’re a good man. Never doubt that.” 

Scott sighed, accepting Cal’syee’s gesture of stroking his face with soft hands. He leaned into her touch, allowing her to soothe him in her special way. If the past few weeks with Cal’syee proved anything; she was good at keeping him relaxed before something stressful. She was able to help him cope with his traumatic memories in a way no one else could, even if it were through elaborate sex acts. 

As Cal’syee kept stroking his face, another one of her hands reached downward to unzip Scott’s pants. She pulled them down until they were around his ankles. She then pulled his boxers down, freeing his endowment. Reaching a hand over, she began to fondle Scott’s penis, stroking him up his shaft. 

Scott let out a soft groan. “What . . . What are you doing?” he asked her, his voice growing dazed. Clearly, Cal’syee was using her telepathy to calm him down. His hands went to her shoulders as Cal’syee slowly went down to the base of Scott’s cock, continuing to stroke it gently. 

“Helping you forget about your troubles,” Cal’syee whispered to him. “Trust me. This’ll help you before your travels to Earth, Scott. Let me be good to you.”

Scott nodded, moaning as Cal’syee continued stroking him off, before her tongue licked the tip of his penis. He gasped as Cal’syee’s mouth slowly engulfed around his dick, eating him out. Her hands went upward to stroke Scott’s balls, sending him into an aroused bliss as he held onto her shoulders. His knees felt weak, yet somehow, he was keeping enough strength within to stay upright in Cal’syee’s grasp. 

Cal’syee kept stroking and sucking him off. She grasped both of Scott’s balls into her hands, and gave them a playful squeeze as Scott let out another moan of pleasure. And all the while, Cal’syee licked him up his shaft, her tongue swirling around as she felt the warmth of Scott’s sperm forming. It was slowly feeling hot in her mouth, but she kept on eating him out, licking all around his penis before deepthroating Scott’s engorging endowment. His penis was growing so hard as she bobbed her head up and down his shaft, continuously stroking his balls playfully. 

Scott’s moans of pleasure were the only thing she heard as she sucked his penis. As his penis grew more erect, it tested Cal’syee’s gag reflex. But she kept eating him and sucking him off, jerking off his balls to further arouse him. Scott let out another low moan, closing his eyes as he relished in the sensation of Cal’syee giving him oral sex. 

“Ohhhhhh Cal’syee!” moaned Scott. “You’re . . . You’re so skilled!” 

“Mmmmmmh!” Cal’syee moaned, continuing to eat his dick. 

‘I know, Scott. Enjoy it,’ she told him via telepathy. ‘I’m glad I’m relaxing you. This was exactly what I wanted to achieve.’ 

“And it’s working! Oh Lord . . . it’s working!” moaned Scott a little louder. 

Cal’syee hummed as she kept eating Scott’s penis, deepthroating the young man. Suddenly, that was when Scott felt his orgasm hitting him. He was climaxing and his penis was beginning to grow harder and more erect than ever. He was about to shoot off in Cal’syee’s throat. He was about to cum and cum hard during the act of heated oral sex. 

“Ahhhhh fuck!” Scott gasped, his moans growing louder. “I’m cumming! I’m cumming!” 

‘Cum, Summers,’ Cal’syee told him, sending an arousing sensation into his mind that left his cock feeling even hotter and harder. 

That was all it took for Scott to shoot off into her mouth, spraying his thick, white cum all in her mouth. Cal’syee slurped it up, though, swallowing it down as if it were the most decadent treat she’d ever had. Once she ate all of Scott’s cum, she pulled her mouth away from his penis, standing up. 

“How did that feel?” she asked him, watching as Scott pulled his underwear and pants back up. 

“So good,” gasped Scott. 

“Do you feel ready to go now?” Cal’syee whispered, moving to hug him and wrap her arms around his neck. 

“Oh, yes,” Scott said with a nod, placing a soft kiss against her lips. “But once I am done with my mission, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you, Cal’syee.” 

“What would that be?” she asked him. 

“We’re having sex, Cal’syee,” Scott said. “What do you say about us having a room together, here?” 

Cal’syee was highly taken aback. What had gone from a relationship simply for sexual pleasure suddenly turned to something far more serious in Scott’s mind. He wanted to take further steps and potentially have something more. It hadn’t been part of Cal’syee’s plan at all, and it still wasn’t.

“Are you certain?” she asked. 

“Yeah, I am,” Scott said. “Why? You don’t want to take it further than this?” 

“It’s just . . . I never thought that was something you’d want,” Cal’syee said. 

“But it is. I want something that’s real,” Scott said. “I don’t want to have sex just to have it. I want a real relationship, with love and passion and potentially, marriage. I really want a future with you.” 

Cal’syee swallowed, considering her words. The last thing that she wanted was for Scott to think she wanted to be in something long-term. She just thought that their relationship was what humans called “friends with benefits.” Except now, Scott was wanting something more than just sex in a relationship. He wanted real love. He wanted to have something so fundamentally human of a relationship. But for Cal’syee, she had no interest in that. 

‘How do I tell him this?’ she thought. ‘I . . . I truly do not want to hurt him. He’s such a good, dedicated man. But . . . But I don’t know if I _want_ to go further than this. It’s comfortable, and it feels good knowing we’re both getting pleasure from one another, and just pleasure alone. Dammit, I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into.’ 

“Scott,” she decided upon saying. “That’s . . . That’s awfully sweet of you. But . . . I don’t know if that’s something I’d want. I like where we are right now. It’s functional.” 

“But don’t you think it would be _more_ comfortable if we shared a love that completes us?” asked Scott. “I thought that’s something you would have wanted.” 

Cal’syee closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Right now, I just . . . I’ve got no interest in that. Can we please just keep things as they are? It’s far simpler this way. It’s a lot less messy than dealing with all the emotional investment that comes with relationships.” 

Scott cast Cal’syee a look. She saw a glimmer of hurt there. He truly thought that Cal’syee wanted to have something real. Knowing that she just wanted something for convenience left him feeling hurt and cheap to a degree. 

“Fine,” he decided upon saying as he stepped away from her to walk out of his room. “If that’s how you feel, then you can forget about it.” 

“Scott!” Cal’syee said. 

“No,” Scott said, his anger evident in his voice. “It’s quite damn clear what you were looking to get out of this. You only wanted to have this time with me because it’s convenient for you. Well guess what? I don’t look for relationships just for sex. And if you can’t be that woman, then clearly, we won’t work out ever.” 

Walking away, he proceeded to slam his door shut and rush through the halls to meet with Alex. The sooner he got on his ship with his brother, the better he would feel. Shaking his head, he lamented on what he’d just experienced. 

‘I should have known she’d manipulate my emotions,’ thought Scott. ‘D’Ken warned me about her. He told me Cal’syee would just use me and then toss me aside like leftovers. God! Why did I have to _fucking_ believe that she wanted something more? I feel like such an idiot!’ 

As Scott kept bitterly lamenting in silence, he barely noticed his younger brother standing at the end of the hallway, waiting for him. 

“Scott, are you okay?” asked Alex. 

Scott nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Come on, let’s go. We’ve got a job to do.” 

“Scott, do you want to talk about it?” asked Alex. 

“No, Alex,” Scott said sharply. “I’d rather just focus on this mission and make sure Lilandra faces her treason.” 

“But what exactly happened?” Alex asked. 

“We’ll talk about it on the route to Earth,” Scott decided. However, he was highly reluctant to tell Alex about what Cal’syee had done. The lingering sting of feeling used and cheap resonated there as he and Alex walked out to the landing strip to get their sniper rifles and assigned ship. Scott just knew in that moment he would never fully trust Cal’syee again.

* * *

**Up next: Cosmic Pleasures**


	2. Cosmic Pleasures

**Issue 2: Cosmic Pleasures**

**Scott’s Quarters on Chandilar – Three Weeks Ago**

“Scott, what is all this?” asked a bemused Cal’syee upon entering Scott Summers’ room. 

She’d arrived dressed in what Scott told her to wear: one of her rather revealing nightgowns, a bra, and a pair of panties. She took in the sight of Scott’s room, which had a rather elaborate set up. But what fascinated her more were the ropes tied to Scott’s headboard and footboard of his king-sized bed, a blindfold, and a whip made of pure leather. She could only wonder what Scott had in store for her this evening.

The past few weeks consisted of Scott teaching her about nothing but self-discipline and control. He was so disciplined and in control all the time, displaying his militant training out in not just the field, but also in the bedroom. 

However, for tonight, Scott claimed he had one last lesson to teach her regarding discipline. Standing before Cal’syee wearing nothing but his underwear, he looked beyond sexy and so tempting for Cal’syee to jump and start humping him. But Scott held a hand up, stopping her from moving further. 

“No, Cal’syee. Tonight, is your final lesson,” Scott said. “This is a lesson in obedience, taking pain, and turning it into pleasure.”

“Oh, what does _that_ mean?” Cal’syee said, eyes widening with pure indulgence. Just by the tone in Scott’s voice, things were going to get rather hot. 

“Do not indulge just yet,” said Scott. “You’ve got a lot more to learn, Cal’syee. So, here are some rules I must go over.”

“Rules?” Cal’syee asked, arching an eyebrow. 

“Yes. For years, you’ve never been able to indulge. But ever since we had sex, you’ve been enjoying taking advantage of it. . . maybe even a little too much. I’ve come to learn how much you love the indulgence that comes with sex. But if you lose control of that, chances are, you’ll be a little _too_ bold. And from what you’ve told me about your past, if you’re given too many liberties, you’ll lose control of that temper of yours. You must learn that you cannot always have all you want,” Scott said. 

Cal’syee absorbed this. And it made sense. For years, she’d been deprived. Now that she had a taste for how invigorating sex could be, she took pleasure in it. 

For years, she would indulge in the violence that came with her temper, until the fateful day that she killed her mother. She’d allow her temperament to get the betterment of her. She supposed if Scott could teach her how to channel that and learn about control, she’d take that. 

“Tonight, _I_ am in control. _You_ will submit to me. And _I_ will tell you how this will all go. For the rest of the night, though, you will call me Commander. Do we have a deal?” Scott asked. 

Cal’syee took heed to Scott’s words. If his tone had any implication at all, he was determined to make this act rather elaborate. Looking at the set up in Scott’s room, she knew she was in for something far different than the usual decadent acts Scott treated her to. 

But for some reason, she _wanted_ this. She _wanted_ to see what Scott meant regarding pain and pleasure. For years, she had never been able to indulge in anything at all. D’Ken deprived her of anything sexual. It had been his way of ensuring his control over her. And that very control left her isolated as she’d been left yearning for connection, but couldn’t have it. But Scott was showing her a different form of control, and one she wanted to explore. 

Finally, she nodded. “Yes,” she said. 

“Wait, I didn’t hear that. Can you say that again?” asked Scott. 

“Yes,” Cal’syee said a little louder. 

“Yes, who?” Scott countered. 

“Yes . . . Commander,” Cal’syee said. 

“Good girl,” Scott said. “Now, strip. Get completely naked. I want to see that beautiful body of yours.”

Cal’syee nodded. She lifted her nightgown off her form, before removing her bra and panties. Once she removed the little articles of clothing she had on, she stood there before Scott completely exposed. Every part of her body – her breasts, her butt, and her pussy – was in Scott’s line of vision. 

Scott slowly walked up to her, holding the leather whip in hand. Upon approaching her, his hands traced her naked body. He touched her breasts and squeezed them slightly, before running his hand down to her butt and squeezing that as well until finally, he stroked the outer portion of Cal’syee’s pussy. 

Upon feeling Scott touching the outer folds of her pussy, Cal’syee let out a small purr of pleasure. Just feeling Scott’s fingers there alone was nearly enough to make her feel heat in between her legs. 

“You’re a beautiful woman, Deathbird,” he commented. “Now, walk over to the bed.” 

Cal’syee nodded, slowly approaching Scott’s bed. She took in the sight of the ropes attached to the bed, still curious as to what they were for. 

“Lay on your back,” Scott commanded. 

“Yes, Commander,” Cal’syee said, but that met her with a light slap on her heart-shaped butt with the whip. 

As light as the contact of the whip may have been, it did sting ever so slightly. She gasped at the contact, closing her eyes. She winced, but not so much from the pain. Shockingly enough, it felt _good._

“Oooh!” she gasped, closing her eyes as she relished in the stinging of her ass. 

“Another rule: do not speak unless I tell you to,” Scott said. “Now, lay down.”

Cal’syee nodded, laying flat on her back. Once her head hit the pillows, Scott reached his hands over and began tying her wrists and ankles to the bedposts. He tied the ropes around her wrists and ankles, not too tightly to cause her agony, but not too gently, either. This left Cal’syee laying there, legs spread wide for him with her arms over her head. 

In this position, she was completely vulnerable. Her pussy and breasts were completely exposed, and with her legs spread, it granted Scott access to get in between her legs. Scott stood over her, dominatingly as his hands traced the folds of her vagina, fingering it slightly as he relished in the perfect smoothness of it. He appreciated that the Shi’ar didn’t grow body hair; it made moments like this that much more special. 

It left her with little to no choices. Scott was going to do to her as much as he wanted, however he wanted. And as her eyes followed Scott’s gaze, she suddenly craved this man putting a dick into her. But Scott’s plans went beyond just fucking her. He planned to indulge and have her submit to him, and it would take another Kree-Skrull War to stop him from doing so. 

“Look at you, tied up and at my mercy,” said Scott in that commanding tone. “Here’s what I’m going to do. I am going to eat your pussy. And while I do, I want to hear those moans and cries of yours.” 

Cal’syee nodded, fully submitting herself to this man. She watched as Scott reached for a scarf, and he tied it around her head to blindfold her. 

“Get ready, Deathbird.” 

With that said, Scott leaned over Cal’syee’s naked body. He pushed her legs apart a little more, grasping at her inner thighs powerfully before leaning his head in. His tongue licked around the outer folds of her vagina, slowly teasing her most sensitive areas. That sent Cal’syee into shivers as she moaned slightly. 

She let out a sharp gasp as Scott began to finger her clitoris, running his thumb over it to tease it before his tongue hit the sensitive flesh. The moment Cal’syee felt Scott licking her clitoris to excite her, she let out a louder moan of pleasure. 

“Ohhhhhhhhh!” she moaned. 

Through her blissful moans, Scott kept stimulating her intimate depths. His tongue swirled around the outer walls of her pussy, licking around her clitoris before he went deeper. Cal’syee’s body trembled with erotic bliss as her inner depths began to feel hot and moist. But Scott kept licking her up, getting the blood flowing in all the right ways as he felt her feminine juices releasing. It was making her clit and folds nice and swollen, the warmth building up and sending Cal’syee into a crazed state of arousal. 

Cal’syee felt overwhelmingly horny. She was so horny, she couldn’t stand it. She wanted to rub her legs together to relieve the feeling of heat and moisture that resided in between them. But she couldn’t. Her legs were spread too wide on the bed. Scott’s tongue kept going even deeper into the hot depths of her pussy, further exciting her as she moaned louder. 

“Oooh . . . Oh . . . so hot!” moaned Cal’syee. “So hot and wet! My pussy . . . so Goddamn wet! Can . . . barely . . . stand it! Ahhhhh!” 

Scott kept slurping up her feminine juices, licking her up her slit and arousing her. Judging by Cal’syee’s crazed moans and cries, she wanted to get fucked. But Scott kept eating her out, making sure she was nice and wet. He could feel Cal’syee’s lower body trembling from arousal as she felt she was close to cumming. The fluid from between Cal’syee’s legs kept sliding down, but he licked it up to further tease her. 

But for Cal’syee, this oral teasing sent her into such a state of arousal, it felt like torture. She wanted a dick in her. She wanted Scott to fuck her so badly. But knowing Scott was in control, she had very little room to resist. She knew she was at his mercy. But that did not stop her from begging. 

“Ohhh . . . Oh fuck!” she cried. “Please . . . Please enough, Commander! Stop! Just . . . Just put a dick in me already! I want to fuck, dammit!” 

“Not yet,” Scott told her, continuously licking her up her slit. “I’m going to eat you out until you cum. You can’t always have what you want. It’s about what _I_ want. Do you understand?”

“But . . . I’m so hot and wet!” moaned Cal’syee. That earned her a punishment as Scott reached underneath, slapping her ass hard. “Ahhhh!”

“ _I_ make the rules,” Scott reminded her, slapping her butt again. “Now, if you so much as think of defying me again, I will have to shut you up. Understand?”

Cal’syee nodded, feeling very irritated that Scott wasn’t going to stick his cock into her pussy. 

“Yes . . . Commander,” Cal’syee moaned. 

“Good,” Scott said, continuously licking her up her slit. “You’re learning your lesson.”

She was so horny and wanted to fuck, yet Scott wasn’t allowing her to have that satisfaction. He wanted to see her squirm as he denied her wishes. This was a lesson in control that Cal’syee needed desperately. He’d spoiled her with the decadence of sex for these past weeks or so now. Now, she was learning she couldn’t have it all. 

Suddenly, that was when the heat within her pussy became too much for her. As she felt the orgasmic wave of her climax hitting her, she let out a loud cry of ecstasy. 

“Ahhhhhh fuck!” she moaned, feeling her feminine juices pouring out of her pussy and practically spilling out and down her legs. 

Now, she was left moaning in a dazed state on the bed. That was the moment Scott stopped eating her out, pulling away to observe his handiwork.

“I see you couldn’t hold your cum,” he commented. 

Cal’syee lay there, moaning in a blissful daze on the bed. She let out a gasp as Scott slithered upward on the bed, squeezing her large breasts in his hands. He used his tongue to lick her soft nipples, hardening them instantly as he kneaded them powerfully. Cal’syee could only let out a moan of defeat. 

“Hnnnnnn,” Cal’syee moaned, accepting that she was submitting to him. 

“So, you’ve accepted your role,” commented Scott. “I’ve got to admit, hearing you beg like a sex-crazed whore was quite entertaining to listen to. But I don’t think you’ve learned nearly enough. Sure, I let you cum this time around. Because I could tell you were just _that_ horny. But now, I’m going to tell you what I’ll do next.”

Cal’syee kept on moaning. She still couldn’t see, for the blindfold still shrouded her vision. But she could hear Scott stepping out of his boxers. 

“Now, all that pussy eating made me hard,” Scott said. “But what you’re going to do is suck me off. Afterwards, when I’m nice and hard, you’re going to tittie-fuck me until I cum. But there’s a catch.” 

“What’s the catch, Commander?” Cal’syee asked, breathless. 

“I know eating my cock always makes you excited,” Scott said. “But you won’t be allowed to cum until _I_ cum. Consider this another lesson. You’ll be so horny, you won’t be able to handle it. It’ll take all your inner strength and discipline I taught you to develop to hold back. Do you understand?”

Cal’syee nodded obediently. “Yes . . . Commander,” she slurred, still dazed from the oral stimulation Scott had treated her to. 

Shortly after she responded, Scott barely gave her a moment to process it all before he shoved his semi-erect dick into her mouth. The moment Cal’syee felt his cock going deep down her throat, she gagged slightly at the feeling. 

“Well, what are you waiting for? Start sucking,” Scott commanded, grabbing her head in his hands to drive it up and down his shaft. 

Cal’syee let out a gasp as she started to eat Scott’s penis. She swirled her tongue around to lick him up his shaft, sucking hard as Scott kept a firm grip on the sides of her head. Her drool rolled down her chin as she kept sucking and licking like it was the most decadent treat. 

But she wasn’t prepared for Scott to start humping in her mouth, thrusting his hips slightly to further test her gag reflex. Cal’syee kept up the deepthroating, moaning as she suckled on Scott’s manhood. The taste alone was enough to cause her pussy to grow hot again as Scott moved a hand down from her head to fondle the folds of her pussy. It sent Cal’syee into a crazed state of mind as she yearned to cum. But she knew she had to hold back. No way was Scott going to let her cum before him. 

“Oh yeah . . . that’s right, Deathbird. Suck me hard,” Scott grunted, his hands teasing through her hair. “And I can tell you’re definitely feeling horny.” He fingered her clit, causing Cal’syee to moan. 

“Mmmmmmf!” 

“It’s aggravating, isn’t it? Not being satisfied?” Scott asked her between aroused grunts. “But . . . Oh fuck! You’re . . . You’re gonna make me cum!”

And Cal’syee could feel it. Scott’s penis was very hard and very erect, and she could feel from the growing warmth that he was close to shooting his load. But she kept up eating him out until finally, Scott pulled out of her mouth and placed his cock in between her large breasts. He grasped both her titties in his hands, giving them a squeeze before pressing them against the shaft of his penis. He grinded up and down her breasts, causing the heat in between Cal’syee’s legs to grow even more. 

“Ahhh fuck!” slurred Cal’syee, still dazed from the oral sex. 

“I . . . can tell . . . you want to cum,” grunted Scott. “Remember . . .”

“I can’t cum . . . until you cum,” moaned Cal’syee. 

Laying there like a good submissive, Cal’syee accepted it. She accepted that in order to further learn control, she had to put all of what Scott taught her into practice. It was a lesson that she never thought she’d have to endure. Not being able to release in the form of an orgasm was downright infuriating. 

But the longer she went about laying there as Scott grinded her up and down her breasts, the more she understood what he was teaching her. It made more and more sense as she lay there, taking it all. It took all her inner strength to hold back from releasing her feminine fluids, which were threatening to explode from the depths of her pussy. 

“Good girl,” Scott grunted. “I’m close . . . oh _fuck_ I’m close! Almost there . . .!” 

Before Cal’syee knew it, Scott was shooting his jizz all over her exposed chest. The thick, white sperm sprayed all over her bare skin, covering her in his cum. Now, laying there looking even more disheveled and covered in cum, Cal’syee could no longer stand it. Her pussy was so hot and so wet again, especially as Scott moved down to finger her clit and folds. 

“I see you held back,” Scott commended her. “That takes a special kind of control. Congratulations. You’re getting there.” 

Cal’syee only moaned in response. 

“Your discipline is building up,” Scott commented. “For that, you deserve a reward. I’m going to remove the restraints from your ankles. But I’m not cutting your wrists loose. I’m going to bring them down from the bed, but I’m tying them right back up. I’m going to stick it up your ass and make you cum. But that blindfold is staying on. And, what’s going to happen next doesn’t require you talking, meaning, I’ve got one last thing for you.”

“Yes . . . Commander, please! Just fuck me and let me cum,” moaned Cal’syee, completely dazed and very horny.

Scott proceeded to cut her ankles loose from the bed. But the next step required a little more care. He untied her wrists from the bed, but the moment he flipped her over to go on her knees, he tied her wrists very tightly behind her back securely. Cal’syee in her dazed state couldn’t stay upright, and she collapsed to the bed, her face pressed into the bed but her ass high in the air. 

Scott stepped away from the bed, walking towards another scarf that he’d kept draped over his desk chair in his room. Grabbing it, he tied it tightly around Cal’syee’s head, placing it in her mouth behind her teeth, gagging her. Now, Cal’syee was tied up, gagged and blindfolded like a good submissive. Positioning himself behind her, he gave her ass a slap, causing Cal’syee to wince in pleasure.

“Oh you like that, don’t you?” Scott slapped her butt again before kneeling behind her. He gathered her into his hold, grasping both her breasts in his hands before aligning his dick with her asshole. Without any due warning, he slithered his penis into her hole. 

“Mmmf!” Cal’syee moaned. 

“Oh yeah . . . nice and tight,” Scott grunted, beginning the humping motions as he thrust his penis in and out of her. 

He squeezed her breasts before reaching one hand downward to fondle Cal’syee’s pussy. He pumped her with his engorged dick, rocking her body as the bed rocked underneath them. He fucked her hard and fast as Cal’syee’s body shook and contorted with pleasure. He fondled her pussy, plunging his fingers into her most intimate depths to help her cum. Before Cal’syee knew it, she was close. The stimulation was only heightening her arousal as her body rocked the bed. 

‘Already . . . going to . . . cum!’ she thought, and with that, she came, her feminine juices pouring out of her and down her legs. 

“Mmmmmf!” she moaned as Scott shot his load into her hole. But before Scott released her from her restraints, he was going to fuck her on one last position. 

“I _was_ going to release you after that,” Scott said, laying Cal’syee down on her back with her wrists over her head. “But I want more. And just by looking at you, I can tell _you_ want more, too. So, here’s how it’s going to be, Deathbird. I am going to fuck you as hard and fast as I want until you cum again. After that, we’re done.” 

“Mmmmmf!” Cal’syee moaned through her gag, willingly nodding. 

“You _must_ be horny if you’re willing to go again,” Scott commented, pushing her legs apart wide. But before he began pumping her pussy with his dick, he grabbed the rope once more and tied her ankles to the bed again so they remained spread out on the sheets in a large V. 

Once her ankles were tied up, he grabbed them and forced them up high and into the air. This gesture caused the rope around her ankles to tighten considerably, cutting into her flesh. The skin around her ankles and wrists were already bleeding, red, and swollen, but Cal’syee couldn’t bring herself to care. Scott was going to fuck her again. That made enduring any kind of pain worth it. 

Scott, still grasping onto Cal’syee’s ankles for measure, grinded his pelvis until his penis slid into her vagina. Feeling the moist head around his engorged cock caused him to gasp as Cal’syee started moaning again in anticipation. 

“Oh yeah . . . nice and tight,” he grunted, sliding his penis in and out, pumping Cal’syee’s vagina.

All the while, he kept a firm grasp on her ankles as he humped her, and true to his word, he stepped up his pace. His cock pounded into her harder and faster until he was all the way into the depths of her vagina. As soon as he was all the way in, Cal’syee let out a series of loud, muffled cries that signified she was growing close again. 

“Mmmf . . . Mmmf!” 

“Oh yeah . . . I can feel it,” Scott grunted. “You’re close . . . you’re about to cum. Me too! I’m so close! About . . . to . . . cum!” 

With them both on the verge of their climax, their toes curled in anticipation as they quickly climaxed. And Scott kept pumping Cal’syee’s wet depths hard and fast, their bodies rocking just as hard underneath them. That was when their climax reached its peak, and Scott released his jizz into the depths of Cal’syee’s vagina, while Cal’syee’s feminine juices came flowing down her legs. 

“Mmmmf!” Cal’syee moaned, feeling the release of vaginal fluids. 

Scott panted, pulling out of her depths and allowing his last bit of cum to drip on her, before he untied her ankles. The moment her ankles were free, he untied her wrists before ungagging her and removing the blindfold. Cal’syee lay there on the bed in a disheveled mess, covered in Scott’s sperm with fluids dripping down from her vagina. Scott just allowed her to explore a world of pain and pleasure all at once, and she loved every moment of it. 

“I hope you learned your lesson,” Scott told her. 

“Yes!” moaned Cal’syee. 

“What did you learn?” Scott asked. 

“That . . . I should control myself. And . . . And not allow my feelings to overtake me,” Cal’syee groaned, fighting to stay awake. 

“Good,” Scott commended, laying on the bed beside her. “Now, since I’m feeling generous, you can stay here tonight.” 

“Thank you,” Cal’syee said, still breathless from the erotic act. 

Scott smiled, knowing he’d succeeded. He taught Cal’syee it was possible to control herself. From there on, he knew there was a possibility she would be able to change her habits.

Glancing down at the beautiful woman in his bed, Scott was mesmerized by her beauty. They had a connection, and one he’d been looking ages for. Of course, he had his share of hookups with different girls over the years. But each time, those hookups were just for convenience. Now, he craved something far more than that. He wanted a future with someone.

And he knew exactly whom he wanted that future to be with.

* * *

**Scott and Alex Summers’ Ship – Present Day**

“Wow, Scott,” said a shocked Alex Summers, shaking his head. “She really played you.”

“I can’t believe I was that _stupid!_ ” said a frustrated Scott, still hardly able to believe Cal’syee had used him. “I thought we had something there. Turns out, it was all an act. Why didn’t I see it?”

“Because you were blinded,” Alex said from where he sat beside Scott in the cockpit. “I know you, Scott. You want more than just sex out of a relationship. You want something with commitment. You put your all into everything you do. And the fact that Cal’syee took advantage of that burns.” 

“Yeah, I know you of all people get it,” said Scott. 

“Because I’m your brother. I know you best, Slim,” Alex said, the sympathy evident in his tone as he leaned a compassionate hand onto his older brother’s shoulder. 

Scott nodded, concentrating his hardest on piloting the ship towards Earth. It was disheartening and it really stung. Scott thought for sure that he could help Cal’syee change her ways. He was convinced she’d been willing to go on a new path. She made it seem as if she were sick and tired of being out of control all the time. The fact that it turned out to be an elaborate act, and that Scott had just been a toy to her for decadent sex acts, it _hurt._ It left him feeling that much more used. 

But he could not think about that now. They had been tasked with finding Lilandra and arresting her for treason. However, when Scott got back, he did not know how he was going to face Deathbird. He knew with no doubt that he wouldn’t be able to even look at her for betraying his trust. He’d opened his heart to her, and she played him. 

The closer they got to the blue planet they once called home, Scott felt his anxiety returning. His stomach warped with nausea as he struggled to breathe. His chest felt so tight as his breathing came out in short gasps. 

“Scott?” asked Alex, noticing the way Scott’s hands were shaking. 

Scott’s face grew chalk white as his eyes burned with tears. The way Scott began to wrap his arms around his stomach, he looked as if he were about to throw up the closer they got to Earth. 

“Scott, do you need me to take over?” asked Alex. 

Scott nodded, rising from his seat and allowing Alex to take his place in the pilot’s chair. He proceeded to sit down on the floor of the ship with his head in his knees. He tried his best to get his breathing under control as he fell into the realm of a panic attack. Closing his eyes tightly, he tried to suck in a breath, especially as they entered Earth’s atmosphere. His body shook hard as he wrapped his arms around his knees, rocking backward and forward on the floor of the ship as he felt the familiar popping in his ears due to the changing air pressure. 

‘Mom . . . Dad . . .’ he thought, starting to sob quietly as he felt his nausea growing worse. It took all his strength to not throw up all over the floor of his ship. The last time he’d felt this way, he killed the Skrull who just happened to be pregnant. 

‘Oh, God!’ he thought. ‘I . . . why do I feel like I’m gonna die? The last time I was here, I almost died! Come on, Summers. You’re not going to die . . . pull yourself together already! What kind of soldier am I? I can’t even enter the atmosphere of Earth without losing my shit! Goddammit . . . why?’ he continued to think, still rocking backward and forward, hating himself for reacting this way. 

He felt the vomit rising in his throat as they got closer to landing somewhere. Alex had been too young to remember much of the accident. Those vivid memories of the plane crash were a lot vaguer, and Scott envied that about Alex; that fact that he couldn’t remember much about how traumatic it had been. As a result, things were far less terrifying for Alex. Alex could contain his emotions easily, and he could fly past Earth without panicking. That was why Earth was more often than not Alex’s sector during patrols.

Scott wished he could do that. He wished that he could be like Alex and travel towards Earth without falling into an anxiety attack. For the most part, Scott remained stoic and in control all the time. It was part of his discipline as Gladiator and D’Ken’s prized soldier.

_“Keep a stiff upperlip . . . never let them see weakness. You keep that up, they will respect you.”_

But when it came to revisiting things from his past, he still hadn’t gotten over it. The pain was still raw, and his inner wounds were still untreated. The pain was equivalent to one stabbing him in the chest, twisting the knife, and watching him bleed slowly to his death as the wound festered. No amount of therapy could help cure Scott’s PTSD, which lingered there. His post-traumatic stress disorder was forever going to be part of him. And as his body remained tense with nerves, Alex landed the ship down. Scott didn’t know where, nor did he care. All he wanted was to get off his ship so that he could throw up. 

The moment the ship doors opened, Scott bolted from the aircraft, practically falling to his hands and knees before throwing up. The vomit spewed past his lips as he clutched his stomach, coughing into the snowy ground below him as he sobbed quietly. He shuddered hard, spitting and coughing as Alex knelt on the ground beside him. Alex very carefully reached a hand forward and leaned it onto Scott’s back as he stopped emptying the contents of his stomach, glancing up at the world around him. 

They were in a vast, snowy wilderness, the winds practically howling around them as they knelt there. Scott shuddered hard, the cold reminding him too much of _that night_ when their parents died. 

“Scott?” whispered Alex, rubbing Scott’s back soothingly. 

Scott shuddered as he struggled to inhale and exhale. He felt Alex wrapping him in an embrace, soothingly. Closing his eyes, his tears flew down his face as he cried. 

“Hey . . . it’s okay,” soothed Alex, rubbing Scott’s shoulder.

Scott sucked in a breath before whispering, “I . . . I already lost Mom and Dad. I . . . I can’t lose you, too.” 

Alex nodded, just kneeling there holding his brother firmly. “You’re never gonna lose me,” he said, but his voice was tight with emotion as his own eyes filled with tears. He couldn’t deny the thought of losing his brother was frightening. 

Scott nodded, allowing Alex to just hold him firmly and calm him. Once he caught his breath and he stopped shaking as hard, Alex guided him back to the ship. 

“Come on,” whispered Alex. “Let’s get some rest, and we’ll begin our search for Lilandra.” 

Scott nodded again, allowing his brother to guide him back to the ship. Upon reaching the interior of their ship, Scott sunk to the floor and laid down, closing his eyes as Alex sat in the pilot’s chair to see if he had a signal on Lilandra’s ship’s engine. 

“Scott, I’m not sure where Lilandra’s headed to, but as soon as I get a lock onto where she’s going, we’ll go to her location,” said Alex. 

Scott nodded again, still hardly able to talk and very traumatized by what they’d just gone through.

* * *

**Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters – Infirmary**

For several hours now, Jean Grey lay on the medical examination table in the infirmary. Upon arriving back at the institute thanks to the Coast Guard bringing them back from Jamaica Bay, Hank insisted on Jean getting a full physical. 

Now, she was lying on the metal table. She wore headgear monitoring her cerebral patterns, a cuff monitoring her blood pressure, and an IV in the back of her hand feeding her fluids. Lying there, Jean waited for Hank to come back with results.

She was still dressed in the strange outfit that had appeared on her body. Although it was soaking wet still, she didn’t feel compelled to remove the green gown. Surprisingly enough, whenever these strange clothes appeared on her form, a bra and panties hadn’t come with it. Her nipples were showing through the top portion of the dress as her breasts stood out. And her vagina was completely free. She couldn’t understand why.

“Well, Jean, you have slightly elevated blood pressure. But aside from that, your temperature is normal,” Hank said. 

“Hmm,” hummed Jean, arms resting at her sides. 

“Now, let’s check your cerebral patterns, as well as your energy levels,” said Hank, typing on his computer. However, upon seeing the results that came up during the tests, his eyes widened. “Oh, well that can’t be right.” 

“What?” Jean asked. “What can’t be right?” 

“When I scanned your brain for your cerebral levels, the computer indicates that there’s another presence there in your mind,” said Hank. “It’s almost as if something else is _living_ inside of you. And your energy levels are spiked considerably, Jean.” Turning around, he said to her, “You’re off the charts.” 

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” asked Jean. 

“Well, it means your powers are far too great for my machine to read,” Hank said. “But aside from that, how do you feel?” 

Jean pondered this for a moment or two. She felt normal and healthy; like she was on top of the world. She hadn’t felt this great in forever, let alone this _in control._ It was quite a rush as she relished in this. 

“I feel . . . good,” she said, watching as Hank removed her headgear, IV, and blood pressure cuff. 

“That’s really excellent to hear,” Hank told her with a smile. “What I recommend doing now is a full night’s rest. After all, you’ve got midterm preparations starting tomorrow, and the day after that is Christmas Eve.” 

“Okay,” Jean said, rising from the medical table. “Thanks, Hank,” she added as she left the infirmary. 

Upon exiting the infirmary, Jean noticed how physically stronger she felt. It was almost as if someone had reached into the depths of her mind and strengthened her powers. But for once, she did not feel out of control at all. In fact, she felt so bold and so relaxed. 

‘I’ve never felt this way before, ever,’ she thought. ‘But it feels good. I feel as if I can grab the Moon and crush it with my hands, or depower the sun.’ 

**_“There’s good reason being for that, Jean,”_** said a quiet, feminine voice in her mind. 

The voice alone caused Jean to stop in her tracks. 

“Who . . . Who’s there?” she asked. 

**_“Oh, I apologize, Jean. Allow me to introduce myself.”_** Before Jean’s eyes, she saw something morph before her. It was a fiery bird surrounded by a warm halo, dancing before her. **_“I am the Phoenix, child. You are my host.”_**

“Is . . . Is this all in my head?” asked Jean. 

**_“No, Jean. I can very well assure you that this is real. How do you think you survived that solar flare?”_ **

“That . . . That was you?” asked Jean. 

**_“Yes,”_** said Phoenix. **_“I am now the fire that burns deep within your soul. We are now connected. After all, I preselected you. You’re special, Jean.”_**

“But why me?” Jean asked, confused. 

**_“Because you’re stronger than you may realize,”_** said the Phoenix. **_“I always knew that you and I were bound to be connected. For years, I’ve watched you. Albeit, it had been due to a tragedy. I truly am sorry about your sister, and your mother, both of whom I know you lost. But together, you and I can be something far greater beyond anyone’s comprehension if you allow me that chance.”_**

Jean swallowed, taking in this information. She couldn’t quite comprehend why this strange force selected her, and her alone. How did this strange force know so much about her and all that she lost? It was surreal, knowing someone other than the professor knew so much. Somehow, this strange cosmic force knew of her innermost pain, her past, and all that she ever lost. 

**_“I know why you’re wondering why I picked you,”_** the Phoenix told her. **_“I picked you, because I knew from the time you were a little girl just how capable you’d become. I’m sure you remember me, Jean. Don’t you remember all those days in that mental hospital, where you were so convinced you were alone? I’d like to show you something, dear.”_**

* * *

**The Astral Plane**

The embers overwhelmed her vision as she viewed the sight of fire, until finally, warm embers turned into the interior of the mental hospital she’d stayed in as a child. The cold, vast hallways, the sounds of the machines, and the sterile atmosphere overwhelmed Jean’s senses. This was the last place that she wanted to be. Why the Phoenix brought her back here, she couldn’t begin to comprehend. 

“Phoenix, if you don’t mind me asking, what are we doing back here?” she whispered shakily, her eyes filling up with tears of despair, as they always did whenever she thought about this terrible place. 

**_“Because it’s where it all started,”_** said the Phoenix. **_“You see, I knew when your sister died in that terrible accident, you could’ve ended up brain dead, or worst of all, you may have died. The trauma was engraved in your mind. Between having your father leave, and watching your sister die, it was all too much for you and your young mind to handle. So, the day of your sister’s death, I protected you.”_**

Jean watched before her eyes as the hit and run accident that killed Sara replayed before her eyes. She saw her younger self slipping away, but not before a warm, fiery blanket wrapped around her, as if to offer comfort and protection. 

**_“I knew there was no way you’d be able to handle connecting to such forces of the cosmos. So, I blanketed you and just had you slip into a comatose state, at least until your mind was ready to awaken,”_** the Phoenix explained. **_“From there, I continued watching you very closely. I know all there is to know about you. I know your fears . . . your capabilities . . . your pain . . . and above all, your desires.”_**

Jean absorbed this as the environment around her morphed into something else entirely. The embers and flames caused everything to shift, warming her body and mind. It left her in a state of relaxation as she allowed the gentle flames to engulf around her. Glancing down at her body, she recognized she was dressed in her original Marvel Girl outfit – the one she’d worn before upgrading to her green dress and yellow mask. 

It was the old blue bodysuit with a bright yellow X design on the chest and back, and a blue cowl pulling up and over her eyes which allowed her flaming red hair to flow out the back of it. It was a uniform she never once thought she’d wear again. It brought back her old memories. But what stood out to her was the environment that she now stood in.

She was back in her childhood bedroom from her old, Toms River home. Looking around the room, she saw the full-sized bed surrounded by her old stuffed animals, which was covered with a lavender and white bedding. The walls looked as she remembered, too, as they were covered in the old, light purple, floral wallpaper. The white furnishing also looked familiar to her, too. 

Standing in what used to be her childhood bedroom, Jean felt a flood of different emotions go through her. It hit her like a tsunami as her eyes filled with tears, remembering it all. It was home to some of her most painful memories, but also her happiest memories. 

“Why . . . Why did you bring me here?” she whispered. 

**_“Because this place was once home,”_** explained the Phoenix, forming before her eyes once more in the form of a fiery bird. **_“And also, because you must understand why I selected you. For years, you were made to feel undesirable. Your mother and your father alike both had their share of weaknesses. But you’re stronger. It’s the only reason why you’ve ever been able to rise above your shortcomings and be better. And because of that, I feel you deserve something special. Think of this as a gift from me to you.”_**

Before Jean knew it, the Phoenix was forming other mini firebirds off her wings. Except, these mini firebirds looked rather different. In fact, they looked _masculine._ Their wings were big in size, and they seemed to have rather generous-sized endowments as they flew around Jean’s body. Jean’s eyes widened as her clothes disintegrated from her body, turning them into nothing but ash. She hadn’t even been left in a bra and panties; she was completely naked.

Standing before the mini firebirds the Phoenix had formed, every part of her body – her breasts, her butt, and her pussy – was exposed before the cosmic being. The Phoenix observed her with a fiery glint in those orange eyes. Jean trembled under this cosmic being’s gaze as the Phoenix slowly flew around her exposed body, as if to take in the sight of her most intimate areas like it were a piece of art.

It was quite jarring. This was the same Jean Grey who’d once blushed when John Proudstar saw her nude for the first time in his room. This was the same Jean Grey who would get embarrassed at the sight of porn. And this was the same Jean Grey who shoved Logan away for kissing her on the lips so unexpectedly.

Except now, in the vast Astral Plane which had taken on the form of her childhood bedroom, Jean suddenly felt bold. She couldn’t bring herself to care that this cosmic being was observing her nude form, as if to examine every feminine curve in her body. She surprisingly enough _liked_ being under the gaze of the Phoenix and these mini firebirds, but there was still a part of her that wanted to use her hands and arms to cover her vagina and breasts. Perhaps, it was the lingering feelings of worthlessness permeated there by her parents, who’d abandoned her so many times when she needed them most. But the Phoenix wasn’t letting her cover herself. In fact, as the Phoenix flames glowed brighter, Jean didn’t feel as much urgency to cover her butt naked form.

 ** _“You’re a beautiful woman, Jean Grey,”_** commented the Phoenix as Jean shivered slightly under the stare of the holy bird. **_“But there’s still a part of you that is quite reserved. I can fix that.”_**

Phoenix entered her form. Her eyes glowed with an orange fire as suddenly, she felt an overwhelming warmth forming in between her legs. 

“Ohhhhhhh!” she moaned, rubbing her legs together to try hiding how wet her pussy was. But she couldn’t resist fingering her clit and rubbing her breasts, gasping and moaning as she shakily walked towards her childhood bed. Upon collapsing onto her old blankets and sheets, the fires around her glowed considerably as she felt horny . . . and _very_ horny, at that. 

It was quite fitting though. The fact that the Phoenix had taken her back to her childhood bedroom – albeit through the Astral Plane – and was making her feel all these sensations brought her a sense of completion. It made her feel as though her wants could finally be satisfied after weeks of going through the cycle of grief.

**_“Ever since you lost that special someone – John Proudstar – you’ve felt incomplete. Well, I’m here to alleviate that for you. These mini firebirds are just here to pleasure you. So, tell me, Jean. What are you feeling?”_ **

“I . . . oh gosh! I feel so wet . . . so hot! It feels strange, yet good!” moaned Jean, still fingering her very moist folds. “I want . . . I want to fuck!” 

**_“Then allow these firebirds to just pleasure you. You do not have to do anything. Just feel it . . . embrace it!”_ **

Jean nodded, still moaning as the mini firebirds surrounded her. Their flames – which felt surprisingly like feathers – brushed against her breasts as she squeezed them. Two of them went down into the depths of her pussy, warming her and heightening her arousal. She didn’t even have to finger it anymore to feel her heat and moisture building up. Two of the firebirds went underneath, brushing against her butt, as if to squeeze it. 

Their gentle flames touching her exposed skin felt so good. It made her feel overwhelmingly horny as her pussy grew wetter with amplifying arousal. And she didn’t have to do anything else except lay there on the bed and enjoy these sensations. Although it was all in her mind, it felt so real and left her in ecstasy. 

So, she just laid there, allowing these firebirds to pleasure her by entering her pussy and anus, moistening her folds. Her body contorted and shook with anticipation for an orgasm to come. She hadn’t had one since the last time she’d had sex with John. Her breasts felt so hard and overwhelmingly hot, whether that be from her growing arousal or the fires around her body. Her body basked in sweat as she gasped and moaned. She spread her legs a little more as the mini firebirds continued wetting and warming her pussy. 

This continued until finally, she felt she was climaxing. At this point, her vaginal folds were overheated and very wet. Her breasts were hard and hot. Her body was sweaty with stimulation. And she shook with expectancy for orgasm. 

“Ohhhhhhhh!” she keened. 

**_“What are you feeling, Jean?”_ **

“Ahhhhh fuck!” Jean moaned again, closing her eyes. “I . . . I’m so close! I’m . . . I’m about to cum!” 

**_“Then enjoy it. Relish it and embrace it,”_** the Phoenix encouraged. 

Then, that was when the next, most amazing thing happened. The mini firebirds penetrated Jean’s pussy and ass with their endowments, causing her body to rock the bed underneath her as her moans grew even louder. She reached a hand up, fondling her breasts and squeezing her fleshy orbs as the fires of the mini firebirds fucked her in her pussy and anus. She was now at her climax. Suddenly, she felt her pussy release her fluids. 

“Ohhhhhhhhh!” moaned Jean, feeling her feminine juices spilling down her legs and thighs.

As the mini firebirds disappeared into the form of ashes, she was left lying there, surrounded by the flames of the Phoenix. Her body now cooled significantly as she was lying there, gasping. 

But it wasn’t nearly enough. She wanted to explore more sensations. She was still horny. 

“More!” she moaned. “I want more!” 

**_“Of course. I’m sorry for my lack of consideration. I’ll form more firebirds.”_ **

Jean watched as the fires formed more of those mini birds with the imposing endowments. Suddenly, she felt this strange force giving her the strength to stand up. She stood there, but she was hovering a few feet from the ground. Her pussy was still nice and wet and hot as she rubbed her thighs together, squeezing her breasts. 

The firebirds surrounded her body, warming her over once more as her legs spread out into the shape of a V, giving those mini firebirds more access to her womanhood. The moment Jean felt the firebirds stroking and licking at her vaginal folds, she started to moan louder as others brushed against her butt, her thighs, and her breasts. 

“Ahhhhhh fuck!” she moaned, still dazed from that round of sex at the hands of these glorious creatures. She probably would have collapsed to the floor if it weren’t for this strange, cosmic power holding her up midair. 

The warmth continued. Her pussy felt wetter. Her nipples felt harder. And she grew more and more dazed with arousal. The little firebirds slithered their way in and out of her hot, wet inner depths, stimulating her most sensitive areas. As this stimulation continued, her body trembled and contorted once more with anticipation for an orgasm. It did not take her too long to feel another orgasmic wave hitting her, and her womanly juices to go spilling down her thighs again. 

“Ohhhhhhhh! Don’t stop!” she moaned. 

**_“I hear you, Jean,”_** said the Phoenix. **_“Are you enjoying this?”_**

“Mmmmmh! Yes . . . Oh, yes! I’m making love to mini firebirds! And I love it! I want more! I need more!” 

**_“Then continue to enjoy,”_** the Phoenix said, smiling as Jean’s body shifted in position.

Now, she hovered in mid-air while lying face down. This allowed those firebirds to stimulate her at a different angle. And as they slid in and out of her moist depths, it left Jean in a deeper state of catharsis as she just embraced these feelings. It followed by an onslaught of orgasmic waves, causing her body to tremble as she moaned in pleasure. And as the flames licked her unclothed body, she kept feeling an urgency to have more. 

She wanted more sex, more connection; more pleasure. She didn’t care which position she ended up in. She just felt this need to cum again and again as her body writhed and convulsed with these marvels. 

“More . . . More!” she moaned, sounding like a sex-crazed whore. But she didn’t care. She was hot. She was sweaty. And she was very horny. 

**_“You can have more.”_ **

Jean felt her body being moved into a different position. Now, she was back on her bed once more, lying on her back and basked in her sweat. More firebirds entered the depths of her pussy and anus, sending her into a world of bliss as she stared off, dazed and horny as her body contorted with new sensations. It didn’t take long for her to release a new onslaught of feminine juices, which poured down her thighs again.

“Ohhhhhhhh!” she moaned as finally, the firebirds disintegrated into black ashes, leaving her on the bed dazed and covered in sweat. 

She’d just had sexual pleasure fulfilled by a cosmic force. And it felt _good._ She never once thought she could feel this way, ever. But as she relished in the afterglow, she opened her eyes.

* * *

**Xavier Institute – Jean’s Room**

Somehow, when Jean opened her eyes, she found herself in her bedroom at the institute, now. She was she did not remember how. 

“How . . . How did you bring me back to my bedroom?” she asked.

The last thing that she remembered was the Phoenix summoning mini firebirds to give her an orgasmic wave. And it felt _astonishing._ Glancing down at her crotch area, she saw her womanhood was still very moist and hot from her arousal. She couldn’t refrain from fondling herself there, shoving two fingers into the depths of her vagina to stimulate and hopefully, alleviate these strange, new sensations. Glancing at herself in the mirror, she saw the glint of Phoenix fire in her green eyes. 

**_“That’s one of the many things I can do,”_** the Phoenix said. **_“In turn, that’s what you can do, now. You hold the powers of the Phoenix. You now have unlimited power. Embrace it.”_**

Jean nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Thank you for saving me, and giving me a new perspective.”

 ** _“You’re very welcome, darling,”_** said the Phoenix. 

However, before Jean could lay down on her bed to get some rest, she became aware of loud, agonizing yells filling the atmosphere, seemingly coming from Professor Xavier’s room. It was so chilling, and sounded so disconcerting as Jean found herself running through the halls. 

The others quickly exited their own rooms. Warren and Candy’s clothes looked rather disheveled, with Warren having no shirt on and Candy holding a sheet around her topless form. It was painfully obvious they’d been getting started on making love, and the professor’s yells had interrupted them. 

“Jean? What’s going on?!” shouted Lorna, holding a sheet around her own body to try hiding that she was in nothing more than her bra and panties. She and Bobby had been close to making love, too.

“It’s the professor!” shouted Jean, rushing through the halls and leading the others to Professor Xavier’s room. Yanking the door open by telekinesis, Jean was first to see Charles sitting up in his bed, panting with a hand over his chest.

“Professor!” gasped Bobby. “Are you okay?”

Charles gulped in deep breaths, still overwhelmed by what he’d seen in his dreams. It was the same one that had been plaguing his mind for weeks. He kept seeing images of a woman, begging for his help. He didn’t know whom she was, but he just knew she needed his help. Jean’s eyes flashed with Phoenix fire as she absorbed the images from Xavier’s mind. Almost instantly, she was hit with a myriad of sensations as she fell to her knees. 

**_“Lilandra!”_** the Phoenix said, except this time, the Phoenix’s voice was coming out of Jean’s mouth once more as Warren and Ororo caught her. 

“Jean . . . Jean what’s wrong?” asked Ororo. 

Jean swallowed, her eyes flashing with Phoenix flames as she whispered, “I don’t know. But . . . But this force that’s inside me, it’s distressed. It’s as if everything is unbalanced . . . like something terrible is about to happen.”

“Professor, what’s wrong?” asked Lorna. 

“I’m not certain, Lorna,” Charles whispered. “I . . . It’s almost as though I’m losing control. I’ve been feeling this way for weeks. And I don’t know why. I think I must spend some time away from the institute. Hank and Sean will continue teaching classes.”

“Well, where are ye going to go?” asked Sean. 

“I must go to Muir Island. I just need to be anywhere but here. I need to know more of what’s going on with me,” Charles said. 

“Charles, if ye need to seek help, ol’ friend,” said Sean. 

“I am not sick, Sean,” Charles said strongly. “Just restless. I need to take a leave of absence until I know for certain what’s going on. I will go to Muir Island and have Moira run some tests. In the meantime, you all should just focus on your studies. So please, all of you go back to bed. Sean, prepare the Blackbird for me, please.” 

“Of course,” Sean said with a nod as the others left reluctantly. 

However, as the others left the professor’s room, they all felt there was something far more ominous happening. And if Jean’s new powers had any indication at all, things were bound to spin out of control soon.

‘Phoenix?’ asked Jean through her telepathy. ‘Do you know what’s wrong? Why’s the professor having psychic-induced dreams?’ 

**_“I . . . I cannot be certain, my friend,”_** said the Phoenix in a faint whisper. **_“I just know that there’s someone out there in trouble, and I know exactly who she is.”_**

‘Who’s asking for our help?’

 ** _“Lilandra Neramani,”_** explained the Phoenix. 

‘Who is that?’ 

**_“Bear with me, Jean. This requires a little education. I’ll have to show you,”_** the Phoenix told her.

* * *

**Up next: Distressful Desolation**


	3. Distressful Desolation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used: 
> 
> Give Me A Sign by Breaking Benjamin  
> Because of You by Kelly Clarkson
> 
> Any music used here I do not own. They are all property of the artists who wrote the songs.

**Issue 3: Distressful Desolation**

**The Astral Plane**

“Phoenix, what are we looking at?” asked a bewildered Jean Grey. 

From the moment she asked about Lilandra, the Phoenix brought her back to the Astral Plane. Except now, she did not know what she was looking at. From what she could tell, she was floating in a vast abyss of black. 

**_“This is my history. It’s how I came to be,”_** said the Phoenix Force. **_“Truth be told, I cannot recall how I came to be. From what I recall, I’d been summoned by two individuals named K’ythri and Sharra. Now, they’re worshiped as Gods by the Shi’ar.”_**

“The Shi’ar . . .” whispered Jean, watching as the black abyss changed into a sea of swirling colors. 

**_“The Shi’ar have been around for centuries, Jean,”_** the Phoenix Force continued elaborating. **_“I came into this world because those in the Shi’ar saw me as God. They believed that I was the creator of the Universe from the beginning of time.”_**

“So . . . you’re saying the Bible got that from you?” 

**_“I cannot say. Because I’m not certain how true that is. But ever since then, the Shi’ar have worshiped me. K’ythri and Sharra had been nothing but good hosts. They wielded my power with responsibility and they loved and respected me greatly. With access to my power, they explored a world of passion which allowed them to govern the Shi'ar with utmost loyalty. I was with them until the day they passed on. But after they died, there was always a part of me that had been left . . . unsatisfied. So, I kept on searching for new hosts, yet each time . . . I kept on craving more.”_ **

“Yeah, I know how that feels,” mused Jean as she watched the warping colors around her. 

Ever since John died at the hands of the Sentinels, Jean had been left unsatisfied. She craved passion. She craved connection. After being a mental patient for a year and being cut off from any form of connection to others, she grew to have passions that burned stronger. She craved to be intimate with someone. 

That made John such a great partner. He showed her the wonders of love and sex. He showed her how beautiful true love could make one feel. Now that John was gone, Jean’s cravings for intimacy only grew stronger. And these cravings were unlike an alcoholic needing the taste of liquor, or a dessert enthusiast yearning for the taste of cheesecake. It went beyond that. 

Intimacy cravings were part of Jean’s nature. She _needed_ and _wanted_ to be close to someone and embrace that person. Being a telepath, connection and intimacy were part of her powers. Reading people’s thoughts and absorbing the emotions around her, Jean always felt a need to embrace someone emotionally, physically, and spiritually. 

From what she could tell, the Phoenix Force was very much like her. The Phoenix had been left in thirst for centuries, until finally, it found her. Now, they were both on a pathway to explore the wonderments of intimacy and passion together. But, Jean also got the sense that the Phoenix Force didn’t just connect with her for intimate reasons. 

If the warping colors of the Astral Plane were an indication, Jean was in for quite a history lesson. 

**_“But that doesn’t stop some from wanting to use me,”_** said the Phoenix Force. **_“That brings us to the Emperor of the Shi’ar, D’Ken Neramani.”_**

Suddenly, the swirling colors stopped and steadied, forming into the vast atmosphere of space. Before her eyes, Jean saw stars twinkling around a planet that looked very much like Earth. However, there were a few distinguishable traits about it. For one, the clouds surrounding it were tinted a shade of purple, and the planet itself was colored a shade of fuchsia. It was a remarkable sight to behold. 

However, Jean didn’t have much time to admire the planet’s beauty as she went flying towards a strange room. In the center of it was a magenta-colored crystal, glistening inside of a glass case.

“Phoenix, what are you showing me?” she asked. 

**_“That, Jean, is the key,”_** said the Phoenix Force. **_“It’s known to the Shi’ar as the M’Kraan Crystal. From what I know, it had been used to summon me when I was nothing more than a spark. Think of it as the place I’d been born at the start of the Universe. For centuries, many believed that the M'Kraan Crystal to be the key to supreme control over the Universe. Anyone who may try to open it – they’re looking to access my power.”_**

“What kind of power?” asked Jean.

 ** _“Immeasurable power,”_** the Phoenix explained. **_“Imagine, for a second, that everything in the Universe can change within a single blink of an eye. Everything can be at peace, balanced, and perfected. There would be no more war. There would be no more suffering. That’s the good that can come with having such power.”_**

“And the bad?” whispered Jean, her voice shaking with apprehension. She could only wonder what the worst of it was. 

**_“The bad side of having my power is one could use it to burn everything down. The whole Universe could become nothing but ash if the wrong person wields my power,”_** the Phoenix told her. **_“D’Ken . . . he intends to use my crystal – my home – because he wants to be like God. He’s an example of one who is never satisfied with just a little. His greed and his appetite for hedonism leaves him wanting the world.”_**

Jean watched as she backed away slowly from the M’Kraan Crystal, to see an image of D’Ken looking at the strange artifact with hedonistic eyes. The way he looked at the crystal alone left Jean highly unsettled. There was a lust there in his expression, as if the crystal were the finest thing he’d ever seen. And from what she could tell, the Phoenix was unsettled, as well. 

**_“But it isn’t his to take,”_** elaborated the Phoenix Force in a grim tone. **_“He does not get to choose the power. The power chooses him. And I know from experience what happens when a man with that much greed gains God-like powers. That’s something I’ll have to show you.”_**

As soon as the Phoenix said those words, Jean was bombarded with images beyond comprehension. She saw startling scenes of whole planets being engulfed in an inferno, and swallowed up until all that got left behind was ashes. She saw stars trembling as their power was absorbed. Suns were devoured. Whole species were wiped out entirely. And what appeared to be the worst was whole galaxies being turned into singularities, sucking everything up and into their pathway. 

It was all so horrible, and too much for Jean to take in as her eyes welled up with tears. Clearly, this was a precursor of things to come if they didn’t put a stop to D’Ken. 

“Stop . . . Stop!” she begged. “It’s . . . It’s too horrible! Make it stop!” She shut her eyes tightly, beginning to sob as she felt the suffering of all those who lost everything. And it all connected to the Phoenix being used by individuals who wanted the world. 

Almost on cue, the Phoenix stopped showing her all those horrible moments. They seemed to halt as the entire world around them went black once more. 

**_“It’s unsavory, I know,”_** said the Phoenix softly. **_“I’m sorry I had to show you that. But it’s necessary. I was used for far too long by people who wanted my power, but for all the wrong reasons. That’s why I picked you, Jean, and not someone else. I knew you would be the one to wield my power responsibly. I knew your heart from the beginning, Jean. And I know now more than ever that you’re my worthy host.”_**

Jean nodded, wiping her eyes as her tears kept on flowing down. However, she had another question to ask. 

“Phoenix . . . you mentioned Lilandra. What does she have to do with this?” she whispered. 

**_“Lilandra Neramani is D’Ken’s sister. She knows what D’Ken wants to do, and what he plans upon doing. So, she stole the M’Kraan Crystal. And she traveled to Earth. I do not know why. However, I know Lilanadra is far different from her brother. She doesn’t want to see her brother potentially burn everything down,”_** said the Phoenix distantly. 

Jean shuddered. The thought of the whole Universe being at stake because of one man’s greed made her stomach twist as she closed her eyes tightly. It was enough to make her feel sick as she dropped to her knees, her body shaking.

This was far more responsibility than she ever could have been prepared for. Never once did she ever imagine that this would be her destiny; to be a wielder of such great power, and essentially needing to protect the Universe. It was far more than she could be capable of processing. 

“What do I need to do?” asked Jean shakily. 

**_“We’re going to have no choice, but to fight back. It’ll be up to you to get the M’Kraan Crystal someplace safe,”_** said the Phoenix. 

“I . . . I don’t know if I can,” Jean said. 

**_“I know you can, Jean,”_** the Phoenix said to her strongly. **_“You’re stronger than you know. I have faith in you, child. And I’ll be there to guide you every step of the way.”_**

* * *

**Northern Canada – Scott and Alex Summers’ Ship**

“No . . . No!” whispered a panicked Scott Summers, his breath hitching as his head jerked from side to side. “Oh, God. Please no . . .!” 

A sob went past his lips, eyes sealed tightly shut as his body drenched in a cold sweat. His tears soaked his face as he saw _it_ happening over and over. It was like a scene from a horrible movie playing repetitively in his mind. He could still hear the gurgling noises from the pregnant Skrull, which he’d brutally killed. To make matters worse, it hadn’t been in self-defense. It had been because he’d _chosen_ to do it. 

He still saw the blood flowing from the Skrull’s throat . . . her pregnant belly carrying the life which had been inside her. He also still heard that male Skrull’s screams of despair when he saw his wife’s body. It was enough to make his stomach sick all over again as he rolled over into his side, his arms unconsciously wrapping tightly around his stomach as he moaned. 

Scott’s face twisted into an expression of agony as he kept reliving that horrific moment. Sobbing, he felt as if he barely had any room to breathe, especially as his chest tightened considerably. His heart raced wildly as he writhed on the ground, panting and moaning in fear. And as badly as he wanted to awaken from his uneasy sleep, it was as though the memory were replaying just to torment him. 

“Oh God! No!” he gasped. That was the moment his eyes snapped open, and he sat up instantly as his hand flew over his chest. 

Swallowing his nausea down, Scott shuddered hard. He shook his head. 

‘God . . . why can't I get that out of my head?’ he thought. 

He wiped his eyes, noticing Alex sitting in the cockpit of their ship. Rising to his feet, he saw Alex toying with the GPS tracking devices that they had in their arsenal. Alex had been trying for hours to track Lilandra’s ship. However, he had little to no luck at all in that regard. 

Rising up to his feet, Scott shakily walked towards Alex, wiping his eyes free of his tears as he sat beside his brother. Reaching with a shaking hand towards his flask, he took a sip out of it, feeling the effects of the Shi’ar alcohol almost immediately. It was the sweetest taste he could ever indulge in, like fresh fruit or the fresh cream on a cup of coffee. The liquor numbed his mind, sending him into a state of relaxation. 

‘Thank God for Oracle giving us our supply for this mission,’ he thought, taking another sip of the booze. 

“Bad dreams?” whispered Alex. 

Scott nodded. “Yeah, how did you know?”

“You were mumbling in your sleep. And you were sweating,” noted Alex. He’d witnessed his older brother having many nightmares over the years. 

However, he could only assume that because of the recent events in the past few weeks, Scott’s PTSD was slowly getting worse. 

Scott sighed, taking another sip of the booze before offering Alex a sip. 

“I . . . I still can’t get it out of my head, Alex,” he whispered. “That’s why I cannot believe you’re comfortable going through those stealth kill exercises Gladiator makes you do. Doing it with an AI is one thing. But the real thing doesn’t even compare to that.” 

Alex nodded empathetically, glancing at his brother. “What did you feel in that moment? You know . . . when you killed that Skrull?” 

Scott sighed, glancing towards the roof of his ship. “At first, I felt a rush go through me, because I was just determined to do it and get it over with. But when I saw she’d been pregnant . . .” he shuddered hard, taking the flask from Alex and having another drink. “I don’t _ever_ want to experience that again. I don’t want _you_ to have to do that. Because once you take a life like that . . .” 

“I know,” Alex whispered. ”We lost our parents. I would never want to take away someone’s parents.” 

“And that’s especially since in my case, when I killed that Skrull, it hadn’t been in self-defense,” Scott whispered, having another sip of booze. “I did it because I overheard them gloating about those kids that got taken. I was so mad when I heard it; I don’t know what came over me. I just grabbed her and stabbed her! If I knew she’d been pregnant, I wouldn’t have done it!” 

“But you aren’t going to do anything like that again?” asked Alex. 

“I won’t kill anyone again, period,” Scott said strongly, sipping more booze. 

“Even in self-defense?” asked Alex. 

Scott looked at Alex sternly. “I’ll use excessive force if I’m attacked. But I refuse to take another life like I did with that Skrull,” he said. “And the last thing that I want is for you to experience what it’s like to kill someone like that. I don’t care what they may have done. That’s not justice. That Skrull . . . she didn’t even get a chance. Her _child_ didn’t get a chance.” 

Alex nodded in understanding. “I trust your judgement,” he whispered. “But, I do have something here that’ll make you feel better.” 

“What?” asked Scott, watching as Alex pulled something out of his backpack. 

“You remember when I went patrolling with Eric the Redd last week?” asked Alex. 

“Yeah, you guys went to Titan,” said Scott. 

“Well, I ended up finding this stuff,” Alex said with a grin, grabbing a jar that was filled up with rolls of what looked to be paper. But Scott knew better than most that the jar contained the Shi’ar equivalent to weed.

“Alex, where did you get that?” asked Scott. 

“Eric the Redd showed me a station that he has on Titan. It’s a greenhouse filled with a lot of weed,” Alex explained. 

“Is it still fresh?” asked Scott. 

“Only one way to find out.” Alex began twisting the cap on the clear glass jar, trying to open it. However, it was screwed on tighter than he could have anticipated. Not knowing what else he could do, he placed the jar on the floor of the ship and fired an energy blast at it, breaking it open. 

“What the fuck did you just do?” asked Scott, shaking his head in exasperation at his brother. But even then, he could not help laughing. 

“Hey, you wanted to see if it was still fresh, right?” Alex asked, grabbing one of the rolls before taking a sniff. “It smells good.” He grabbed a lighter out of his pocket, which he usually reserved for the cigarettes he liked to smoke while out on patrols with Scott. Oftentimes, their patrols consisted of them smoking. It helped to alleviate the stress of their missions. 

But to see something like good weed was rare. And as Scott watched Alex light up the roll, he grabbed his own and held it underneath Alex’s lighter. Placing the weed near his mouth, he inhaled deeply before exhaling.

Surprisingly enough, it didn’t smell horrible. In fact, the scent alone was something intoxicating, like the strongest perfume the world could offer. Scott inhaled again before releasing a puff of smoke, exhaling. He watched as the smoke flew past his lips, and almost instantaneously, he felt relaxed as he forgot about his nightmare, even if just briefly. 

“That’s good stuff,” Scott commented, inhaling and exhaling the smoke. 

“Tell me about it. I just can’t believe Eric hid this from me,” Alex said, shaking his head. 

“Well, you don’t always make the best decisions regarding stuff like this,” Scott said, smirking in his brother’s direction. 

“Ha, ha, fuck you, too,” Alex said sardonically, rolling his eyes. But even that caused Scott to chuckle as he inhaled and exhaled more smoke from the weed. 

Scott punched Alex’s shoulder, still grinning as they kept on smoking weed. “Alex, you want to know something?” he asked. 

“Shoot,” Alex said. 

“I never would’ve been able to go on this mission without you,” Scott whispered. 

“Yeah, you would have,” Alex interjected. “You’re the strongest of us both. Never doubt that for a second. Because you were the one to pick everything up when we learned we lost our family. You were the one who shouldered all the burdens and stepped up for me. You took care of me, Scott. I feel I never thank you enough for that.” 

Scott nodded. “Well, I’m glad you think so highly of me, little bro,” he said. 

“You know D’Ken and Gladiator do, too,” pointed out Alex. “You’re their best soldier.” 

“Sometimes, I don’t feel like I am,” Scott said dryly. “Sometimes, I wish that Gladiator mentally prepared us for what would come with war.” 

“And what is that?” asked Alex, though he already knew the answer. 

“The survivor’s guilt,” Scott sighed. “The nightmares that come along with that guilt. There’s a lot that they failed to tell us. It was as if they just expected us to know because our parents had been soldiers. They just assumed we’d gotten our father’s tendencies. But I seriously doubt Dad had been _that_ callous, Alex.” 

Alex sighed. He knew that Scott still felt tremendous amounts of guilt for having killed the pregnant Skrull. Nonetheless, Alex felt an urgency to give his brother a piece of advice. 

“Can I give you some advice?” asked Alex, taking another drag off his weed. “No matter what, at the end of the day, you should always think of something to fight for.” 

Scott nodded. “I do have something to fight for, and that’s you,” he said. “You’re the only blood family I’ve got left, Alex.” 

Alex nodded in agreement. “You know when it comes to you, I’ll fight until the bitter end.” 

The two brothers shared a smile with one another as they smoked more weed and drank more booze. Scott breathed a relaxed sigh as he leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes ever so briefly. However, as the two brothers sat there in the cockpit, enjoying the quiet moment, it dawned upon them what time it was. 

It was Christmastime. While the Shi’ar had their own version of the Christmas and Easter holidays, it was quite different in comparison to how Christmas was celebrated on Earth. For Scott and Alex, it was always a bittersweet time for them. Oftentimes, they missed the customs of Earth when it came to celebrating holidays. Now, glancing at the snowy world that surrounded their ship, it made them miss their time on Earth that much more. 

“Alex,” whispered Scott. “I just remembered something. Christmas is in a few days from now.”

Alex nodded, glancing out at the snowy landscape. “Don’t you remember the last Christmas we celebrated with Mom and Dad?” 

Scott nodded, smiling fondly at the memory. “Yeah. Aunt Carol accidentally left her whiskey-spiked eggnog out on the kitchen counter and I drank it. I definitely regret having done that.” 

“Yeah, tell me about it. I remember how Aunt Carol would bring over a bottle of Jack Daniels and share it with Mom and Dad. I still don’t know why she enjoyed that stuff so much,” Alex said. 

“Whiskey tastes like piss; it did _not_ taste better in the eggnog. Acquired taste my ass,” Scott said, shaking his head. However, he still managed a laugh as he remembered Carol’s words to him. 

Alex managed a laugh, taking another sip of the Shi’ar alcohol. “This is the stuff that cannot be beat,” he said. 

“Now, that I’d agree on. This stuff actually tastes smooth going down,” said Scott, taking another sip of the alcohol. However, before he could elaborate further on their conversation, they heard the wild beeping of the GPS tracker on the ship. 

“Looks like we got a hit on Lilandra,” said Alex, straightening in his seat instantly. 

“Where’s she headed to?” asked Scott, sitting up a little straighter. 

“Some place in Scotland,” Alex whispered. “Why would she be headed there?” 

“I don’t know. But I don’t like it,” Scott said, shaking his head. 

“You think we should follow her?” Alex asked. 

Scott nodded. “Yeah, we should,” he said. “Because we need to get answers from her either way. Hopefully, she cooperates and confesses to her treason she committed. If she wants to make things better, she’ll play along and just come with us.” 

“I somehow doubt that she will,” Alex said, shaking his head. “Because if she stole the M’Kraan Crystal, God only knows what she plans on doing with it.” 

“Well, according to D’Ken, anyone who accesses it can have the power of a God,” said Scott. 

“Then I don’t want to think about what she has planned,” said Alex. Turning to his brother, he said, “Are you up for flying? Or should I?” 

“I’ll do it.” Scott gestured for Alex to get out of the pilot’s chair. 

“Are you going to have another anxiety attack?” Alex asked wearily. 

“I think I am past the worst of it,” Scott said, adjusting himself in his seat before strapping in. “Besides, I cannot be afraid of flying forever, Alex. I might as well face my fears now.” 

Alex nodded. “Alright, I trust you,” he whispered, watching as Scott powered up the ship. 

As the ship rose upward into Earth’s atmosphere, Scott felt his heart racing with nerves as his hands shook. Luckily, a few deep breaths were all he needed to calm himself down.

* * *

**Muir Island Research Facility – Main Lab**

Medical labs were never the most pleasant of places to be. Charles Xavier could attest to that. Having traveled to countries ravaged by war and famine to help cure the sick using his powers, he became accustomed to feeling the strong sensations of helplessness. Except now, he was in a position where he felt most helpless. 

Laying in the main lab at Muir Island, he kept his eyes closed as he awaited for Moira to come back with results. For the past month or so, he’d been plagued by the strangest of visions of someone calling out for help in his mind. After confiding in Dr. Peter Corbeau, his goal was to have Corbeau search for answers regarding his visions. However, when Corbeau told him that all tests came back negative, it caused Charles to consider going to someone for help. 

Now, as he lay on the medical table, getting scanned for countless cerebral examinations, Charles felt his anxiousness returning as these strange visions returned to his mind. 

_“Help me, Charles Xavier! Please . . . help me! You must find me!”_

‘Who are you? Where are you?’ he thought, shaking his head as he began to feel a strong migraine hitting him. He inhaled deeply as he tried breathing through it. Try as he might, he couldn’t stop the strong, psychic-induced migraines that kept bombarding him, day in and day out. 

“Arrgh!” he grunted out loudly, feeling another migraine hitting him once more. It felt as though his head were about to split in half the longer he lay there, waiting for Moira to come up with test results. She’d already drawn five samples of blood, and tried giving him pain relievers to combat the migraines. But these efforts were proving to be fruitless already. 

Although he’d been there less than an hour, he was doubting Moira would be able to help, especially as the migraine he currently had sent a sharp pain into his head. It felt like a burning sensation, as though his mind were on fire as he lay there, trying to understand what was going on. 

‘Why . . .?’ he wondered silently. ‘What does this mean? Is this somehow connected to Jean? Oh, how I hope. . .’ 

“Charles,” he heard Moira telling him, having arrived at his side just as his migraine passed. 

Charles took a deep breath, opening his eyes and glancing at Moira. Just reading the expression on her face, he saw a level of distress there in her eyes. 

“Moira . . . do you know what’s causing these migraines?” Charles panted, sitting up from the table.

“I’ve run several tests on ye, Charles. Each time, your blood tests and the brain scans came back negative,” Moira said, shaking her head. “This tells me that these migraines aren’t natural. Someone else is inflicting these strange headaches.”

“But the question is _who?_ ” asked Charles. “Who would be so desperate to try and contact _me?_ ”

Moira shook her head. “I cannot be certain Charles,” she said. “But I recommend ye stay here for the night. Get as much rest as possible. Ye can stay in the psychic ward temporarily until we figure all this out.”

Charles nodded, allowing Moira to help him back into his wheelchair. “Thank you, Moira,” he said sincerely. 

“I’m always happy to help,” said Moira. “But how’s Jean doing? I saw the news, and Sean called me telling me about her new powers.”

“She’s fine, Moira,” Charles said. “According to Hank, she has a clean bill of health and she claims to be feeling better than ever.”

“That’s great to hear. After what she’s been through, losing her mother and John, it’s high time she had some peace,” Moira said. 

Charles nodded in agreement as Moira led him down the hallways and towards the psychic ward, where he knew Jean used to spend countless hours as part of her treatments. He remembered the days he’d come see her during her rehabilitation.

* * *

**Muir Island Psychic Ward – Six Years Ago**

“How is she doing?” Charles Xavier asked as Moira MacTaggart led him closer towards his legal ward’s room.

“It’s a good thing ye brought her into me when ye did,” Moira sighed. “Ye recognized that ye wouldn’t have been able to treat her. While her powers are growing a little more stable, her mind is taking longer to heal.” 

Charles nodded, closing his eyes sadly. Exactly one month ago, he’d taken Jean Grey into his care. In many ways, he was lucky to have found her when he did. The fourteen-year-old girl had spent at least a full year in a mental ward, but this had proven to do more harm than good for her. Those doctors had been anything but understanding when they’d administered their treatments to her. So, when Charles offered Jean a chance at coming with him to his school, she gratefully accepted it.

Unfortunately, Jean’s time at the institute had proven to be a challenge. Although Charles managed to help her regain some control over her mutant abilities, Jean was far from recovered. She had lingering PTSD and depression, which came with a myriad of symptoms that he was far from qualified to handle. 

This included nightmares, panic attacks, strange visions, and telekinetic fits. At first, Charles had tried constructing psychic dampeners in Jean’s bedroom to shield the thoughts of others out of her mind. However, that only helped to a small degree. She still had nights where whenever she had a nightmare, her telekinesis would flare and cause things to break in her bedroom. There were several occasions Jean had broken her own ribs due to telekinetically flinging things from across the room. 

That was what led to Charles contacting Moira, asking her if she would take Jean in for rehabilitation. However, when he breached the subject matter to Jean, she’d been highly reluctant. 

_“No . . . please! I . . . I don’t want to go away somewhere again!”_ Jean had begged him, sobbing hysterically when he’d gone to her regarding his decision. While he knew that it would be best for her to get professional help, it did not mean the notion of sending her away didn’t break his heart. 

While he did feel some guilt for sending Jean away to Muir Island so shortly after having taken her in, he also knew how necessary it was. Jean needed help beyond what he could offer her. And he just hoped that Moira would be able to find a treatment that would work for her. 

“But there is a cornerstone to her recovery,” said Moira. “Kevin seems to enjoy having her around. She spends a lot of time talking to him if she isn’t in her room. And that seems to be helping her, too, knowing she’s connecting with someone who’s like her.”

“That’s a good thing to hear,” said Charles in agreement. “I’m glad that her and Kevin are finding ways to help one another.”

“Perhaps, once she’s done with her therapies, ye should consider looking into things that can keep her mind occupied. At this point, she shows the most improvement when she’s constantly doing something, whether that be exercising, writing, drawing, painting, or listening to music,” Moira explained. 

“Maybe I’ll suggest to her keeping a diary and writing it all down,” suggested Charles. “If that helps her with organizing her thoughts, then there’s a chance she’ll show improvement.”

“Suggest that to her today,” said Moira. “I’m sure she’d be more than willing to take up on that.”

Charles breathed another sigh as they finally approached the door to Jean’s room. However, before Moira opened the door, she had another thing to say.

“Just try not to talk to her about anything that’ll upset her too much,” Moira whispered. “She’s still adjusting to all her therapies and from what I can gather, she doesn’t like talking about what happened with her family.”

“Of course,” whispered Charles, allowing Moira to open the door. 

“Jean?” Moira asked, knocking at the door softly. “Lass, we’re coming in now. I’ve got Charles with me.” 

Upon the door opening to Jean’s room, Charles maneuvered his wheelchair until he was in the room. Once having entered, he saw Jean sitting at a desk in the corner of the room, looking out the window of her bedroom in the facility. 

Looking around the room, he saw Jean’s walls in her chamber were covered with pictures she’d drawn and painted over the past few weeks. Given she had limited things to do while in rehab, she spent much of her time painting, writing, and sketching, to a point where her walls were a sea of artwork. 

From the detail in the painted pictures, Charles saw Jean had taken extreme care in each painting and drawing. In fact, they looked like professionally-drawn pictures, detailed to absolute perfection, like each stroke of the pencil or paintbrush had been done light as a feather. But there was a recurrence in Jean’s artwork that was hung on the walls. There were paintings and drawings of birds in particular, each bird looking distinctive from the other. But they were all painted and colored with shades of red, orange, yellow, and white, making them resemble the colors of flames. 

Jean, who was now seated at her desk, had music playing in her ears through an MP3 player as she drew in a small journal sitting on the desk. She was using her telekinesis to control the pencil while she glanced out at the crashing waves of the ocean that surrounded her temporary home. Charles heard her singing softly, her voice ringing throughout the room. The singing was no more than a whisper, but that didn’t mean it was any less a wonderment to hear.

_Daylight dies_

_Blackout the sky_

_Does anyone care?_

_Is anybody there?_

_Take this life_

_Empty inside_

_I'm already dead_

_I'll rise to fall again_

_I can feel you falling away_

_No longer the lost_

_No longer the same_

_And I can see you starting to break_

_I'll keep you alive_

_If you show me the way_

_Forever, and ever_

_The scars will remain_

_I'm falling apart_

_Leave me here forever in the dark_

“Jean?” Charles called out to her. “Jean?” 

But Jean couldn’t hear him. Between the music playing in her ears and her sole focus on whatever she was drawing in her notebook, she was in her own world. And she looked so peaceful; something that Charles only could have hoped for her. After seeing Jean living in such darkness, he was happy she was beginning to recover, albeit slowly. But still, it was a sign of progress. 

“Jean,” he called again, going closer to her before tapping her shoulder lightly and calling her name telepathically.

Jean jumped in her seat slightly, pulling her earbuds out of her ears before turning to face the professor.

“Gosh, Professor,” she whispered. “You almost gave me a heart attack.” She managed a small smile in his direction, her green eyes having significant bags underneath them. It was a sign of her lack of sleep due to the nightmares. However, the dark under eye circles were fading slightly, which meant she was improving significantly.

“I’m sorry,” Charles told her. “I tried calling your name but . . .”

“It’s fine,” Jean said, grinning. 

“What are you drawing there?” Charles asked her. Glancing at the small, detailed sketch of doves on one page, he saw another detailed picture she’d drawn. It was small, but it appeared to be of the SR-77, which resided in the hanger right underneath the institute basketball court. Taking in the details of the picture, he was impressed Jean had drawn something so intricate. It came to show her photographic memory, which came with her telepathy. 

“The Blackbird?” he asked. 

“Yeah, the Blackbird,” Jean said, a hint of pride in her voice as she set her pencil down gently by telekinesis. It was a sign of her growing control over her mutant abilities. 

“How are you doing?” Charles asked her. 

“Better,” said Jean. “Moira’s son seems to like having me around.”

“Moira says your presence is having a positive influence on him. You should be proud, Jean. You’re forging connections even though you’re in recovery. That’s what makes telepathy such a gift, because you’re able to empathize with others. It makes you more human than you know,” Charles told her. “But how have you been sleeping lately?”

“Well, the medications Moira has me on are helping,” said Jean. “I was nervous about nightmares at first. But between therapy and the sleeping pills, I’m able to finally get a good night’s rest.” 

“That’s wonderful to hear, dear. I’m glad you’re doing better,” Charles said to her. “But I’ve come to give you some news, Jean. I’m bringing in a new student to the institute.”

“Who?” Jean’s eyes widened in curiosity. 

“A fifteen-year-old boy named Warren Worthington III. His mutation has gifted him a pair of feathered wings which allows him to fly. Unfortunately, his family isn’t very supportive of him. His father loves him dearly, but he cannot bring himself to accept Warren’s mutation. I think you of all people know what that feels like,” Charles told her. 

“Yeah,” whispered Jean, nodding as her eyes glazed over with tears as she recalled the professor saving her from the mental hospital nearly a month prior. She remembered how she faced her mother, and how she’d cried and screamed at Elaine, angry and devastated that her mother was giving up on her. 

“Once you’re recovered fully, you’ll start your classes at the Institute, Jean,” said Charles, leaning a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

“Thank you, Professor,” said Jean, wiping her eyes as her tears fell down. “I’m looking forward to having something normal, for once.”

Charles nodded. “That’s all I ever want for you, Jean,” he said. “You deserve that. Remember, there’s nothing to fix because . . . because you are not broken.”

Jean managed a small smile through her tears, remembering the words Xavier had told her a month ago when he’d brought her back to the institute. 

“I know that now,” she whispered. Gesturing her eyes towards a guitar that was in the room, she wiped her eyes and said, “I’ve been teaching myself how to play.”

“Do you mind if I hear a little?” Charles asked.

Jean smiled again, going towards her guitar that was in the room before sitting down on her bed. Taking a couple deep breaths, she telekinetically began to pluck at the guitar strings, playing a song softly before she began singing. However, as she sang, her eyes burned with tears once more as she thought of her mother, who’d abandoned her. It was a raw pain that still stung, and one that she believed she’d never get over.

_I will not make  
The same mistakes that you did  
I will not let myself  
Cause my heart so much misery  
I will not break  
The way you did, you fell so hard  
I've learned the hard way  
To never let it get that far_

_Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt  
Because of you  
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me  
Because of you  
I am afraid_

_I lose my way  
And it's not too long before you point it out  
I cannot cry  
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes  
I'm forced to fake  
A smile, a laugh every day of my life  
My heart can't possibly break  
When it wasn't even whole to start with_

_Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt  
Because of you  
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me  
Because of you  
I am afraid_

After that, Jean stopped playing, taking a moment to allow her tears to flow down quietly. But even as she tried wiping her eyes, more tears followed. Setting the guitar aside, quiet sobs escaped her lips as she allowed the professor to embrace her, comforting her.

‘I know you’re still hurting, dear,’ he told her via telepathy. ‘But I promise, you are going to get through this. You have a home now, Jean. I’m making sure of that.’

* * *

**Muir Island – Present Day**

“Alright, Charles, here we are,” said Moira, unlocking the door to the room Charles would be staying in that evening. “This room will allow me to monitor your cerebral waves and your sleeping patterns. I also hope the psychic dampeners in this room will prevent ye from having anymore migraines.” 

“Heavens, I hope so, too,” said Charles in agreement, allowing Moira to push his wheelchair into the room. Once he was inside the room and heard Moira locking the door behind her to leave him to get hopefully a good night’s rest, Charles proceeded to push himself up and onto the bed, 

However, before he could begin to lay down on the bed and make himself more comfortable, he felt the stabbing pain in his head returning as another migraine hit him, hard. 

Except this time, it felt significantly worse than the others he’d had in the recent weeks. This time, the pain was being taken to far more extreme levels as he heard that feminine voice calling out to him once more. 

‘I . . . she seems to be getting closer. Her voice . . . growing louder. As if she were yelling out to me,’ he thought. 

“Auuuugh!” he groaned out, feeling an overwhelmingly nauseating feeling in the pit of his stomach. He nearly fell off the bed as he began to pant for breath heavily, his head hurting far worse than ever. Although he was residing in a room with psychic dampeners – the same one, in fact, that Jean had stayed in years ago – his migraine was growing stronger than ever. Gasping, his eyes flew open in shock as he took in the sight that appeared before his very eyes. 

Someone was teleporting into the room, but the figure appearing before him wore a strange-looking suit; one suitable for space travel. The moment the figure set foot into the psychic ward chamber; it removed its helmet to reveal the face of a woman standing there before his eyes.

But she looked unlike any woman he’d ever seen before. Her hair was thick and dark navy blue – almost black – and a pair of crystalline eyes stared right back at him. Looking into her eyes, Charles saw a look of desperation as she shakily walked towards him. She looked as if she’d been running for days on end, and she also looked out of breath, as though she barely slept in weeks. However, he also took notice to the look of relief in her eyes as she walked towards his side. 

“Who . . . Who are you?” he asked. 

“Lilandra Neramani,” the woman said, the desperation evident in her voice. “I need your help.”

* * *

**Up next: Unworldly Visitant**


	4. Unworldly Visitant

**Issue 4: Unworldly Visitant**

**The Astral Plane**

Being the world’s most powerful telepath, Charles Xavier had often ventured to the wonders of the Astral Plane. It was a location that few knew about. Those with omega-level telepathy understood that the Astral Plane could take on the form of anything, since it represented one’s consciousness. But why Lilandra brought him here, he did not understand. 

All he understood was that Lilandra happened to be in trouble. For what, he did not know. But the past few weeks had consisted of her reaching out to him for a reason, sending him startling visions into his mind. It made him fear that he’d been going mad. Except now, there was a reason being for that. 

“Lilandra, why are we here?” he asked her. 

Lilandra had her eyes closed from where she stood by his side. She looked at ill ease and she seemed to grow close to panicking. Guilt was laden all over her face as she swallowed, taking a deep breath. 

“I don’t know how much time I’ve got, Charles,” she said, her voice shaking with nerves. “So, I’ll tell you the important details.” 

“Why do you need my help?” asked Charles. 

“I am not from around here. I am from a planet known as Chandilar, which is located here in the Milky Way Galaxy. Except, not many have heard of it. But it’s home to the race I am part of, the Shi’ar Empire,” Lilandra said.

“The Shi’ar?” asked Charles. 

“Indeed,” whispered Lilandra. “I am the younger sister of the Emperor of the Shi’ar, D’Ken Neramani. However, he has ill intent for not just my people, but also, the Universe.” 

“What would that be?” Charles asked her. 

Lilandra’s face seemed to grow significantly pale as she went into the next part of her story. However, before she began, the vast environment of the Astral Plane began to shift as it took on an appearance of swirling colors. Everything around them seemed to spin, as though they were trapped in a singularity that wouldn’t stop spinning. It was downright nauseating to sit through, but Charles was determined to hold on, given he felt the urgency to listen to what Lilandra had to say. 

‘If her brother has bad intentions, what are they?’ wondered Charles in silence as the swirling colors began stabilizing into an image. The environment that they were in now seemed to be a chamber, which held a magenta-colored crystal that glistened inside a glass case. 

“Lilandra, what are you showing me?” 

“That is an artifact from my family’s history,” Lilandra whispered. “We call it the M’Kraan Crystal. Some say that the Gods of the Shi’ar accessed this power centuries ago. This power is known to my people as the Phoenix Force.” 

“The Phoenix Force . . .” whispered a bemused Charles. 

Just by Lilandra’s description alone, it seemed to match up to the influx of power Jean began displaying. He did not know what this meant for himself, Jean, or the X-Men. However, he was never one to turn someone down when they were in need of help. If he were to deny Lilandra that, then it would be going against all the X-Men stood for. 

“The Phoenix Force has had many hosts, but the M’Kraan Crystal is its home. If one were to have access to the M’Kraan Crystal, then the power of the Phoenix would be theirs. Unfortunately, this will lead to consequences if the wrong person accesses it,” Lilandra further elaborated. 

“What kind of consequences?” Charles asked her. 

Lilandra opened her eyes to glance at Charles. The expression in her eyes was grim as she projected every ounce of fear and trepidation that she had. 

“It could lead to catastrophic consequences,” Lilandra whispered. The word alone sent a shiver down Charles’ spine as she continued her story. “I overheard my brother, D’Ken, discussing his plans to access the M’Kraan Crystal. If he were to get his hands on the crystal’s power, things could get worse. And that’s especially since it’s clear the Phoenix has already found its host; your student, Jean Grey. I’ve kept my eyes on everything that’s been occurring over these past few weeks. I couldn’t allow D’Ken to get away with this. It would just lead to war, instability, and potentially, the end of the Universe.” 

Suddenly, that was when the image before them shifted from the M’Kraan Crystal, to images of stars seemingly trembling. What followed afterward only seemed to be worse than the next. There were flashes of whole planets being swallowed until there was nothing left. There were other flashes of suns exploding into nothingness. 

But the final image that flashed before them was a whole galaxy being swallowed up in a singularity that sucked everything in its pathway. It was a sight that was as riveting as it was horrifying to take in. 

Charles felt as though the wind had gotten knocked out of him as he gasped, hardly able to comprehend what he saw. 

“Lilandra . . . what . . .?” he started asking. 

“That is what could happen if the power of the Phoenix Force ends up in the hands of the corrupt host,” Lilandra whispered. “In the Shi’ar, we believe there are two sides to one’s soul. One represents all things good: compassion, empathy, benevolence, forgiveness, truth, and love. The other side represents all things bad: greed, anger, malevolence, destruction, sorrow, and arrogance. Unfortunately, D’Ken has allowed his greed and yearning for power to overtake him, like many of the Shi’ar before him. He believes he is worthy of having the power of a God. However, if he does access the Phoenix Force, that the balance of the Universe will be at risk. I’ve grown up hearing stories of the Phoenix being corrupted by those with a black pit for a heart. D’Ken will just repeat all that.” 

It was all quite overwhelming to take in. Charles could hardly believe what he was hearing. However, looking at Lilandra, he could see the sincerity in her eyes. And he could also read from her thoughts that her thoughts were truthful.

“So, what did you do?” he asked her. 

Lilandra sighed. “I stole the M’Kraan Crystal, and I made my way here to Earth. The Phoenix Force was going to bond with Jean Grey, your student, either way. All I had to do was read the Phoenix’s mind to know who she had in mind for a host. And Jean Grey represents all that’s good. There’s no wonderment why the Phoenix would be drawn to someone like her.”

Charles saw where this was going. Of course, he knew from the moment he found Jean that she was special. She displayed signs of being an Omega-class mutant from the time her powers manifested. Now, in addition to her having Omega-level telepathy and telekinesis, she also had the power of a cosmic entity living inside her. 

“If I could get the M’Kraan Crystal to Earth, and I could find you all, that you would be able to keep it safe. Please, Charles Xavier. I beg of you. Help me find a safe place to hide the M’Kraan Crystal so that it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.” Lilandra’s voice was flooded with desperation as she said those words. And her eyes conveyed just how desperate she happened to be. 

“But Lilandra,” Charles said. “Who is after you?” 

“My brother will only send his best soldiers,” she whispered. “They’re well-organized tacticians who climbed the ranks high. They go by the names of Cyclops and Havok.” 

Charles then saw more images flash before his eyes. He saw two young boys, who looked young enough to be about twelve years old. He saw them being trained by D’Ken and the Imperial Guard in tasks that ranged from marksmanship, to stealth killing, to close quarter combat, to usage of their powers. Knowing D’Ken had trained two children into going to war with him was a startling sight. 

“Like I said; they’re the best,” Lilandra whispered, shaking her head. “I don’t know if they’ve found us here yet. But if they do, then I don’t know what they’ll do to me.”

* * *

**Muir Island – Psychic Ward**

Charles gasped, having just left the Astral Plane. Lilandra stood there before him, the desperation still evident in her eyes as she looked at him pleadingly. She moved from standing there to kneeling in front of him, looking every bit afraid of what could happen. 

“I hope I’m not too late,” said Lilandra. 

“Lilandra . . . I don’t know where we can hide it,” Charles said. 

“I don’t care where. Just keep it away from D’Ken,” Lilandra pleaded. “It’s not his power to have.” 

However, the two were interrupted from their moment alone when a blast of red came pulsing into the wall. It was a sight Charles had never seen before, but it effortlessly caused the wall to crumble on the other side as two other figures stepped into the space. 

Lilandra turned around, her heart pounding hard in her chest as she saw Cyclops and Havok of her brother’s Imperial Guard. Each of them was armed with their pistols, which were pointed directly at her with stern expressions on their faces. 

“Your Highness,” said Cyclops in a startlingly calm voice. 

“Scott, Alex, I knew it,” Lilandra said. 

“Lilandra, we know about what you’d done,” Cyclops said. “You stole the M’Kraan Crystal and fled here. Therefore, you must face punishment. You have a choice here. Come with us and surrender for your treason. No one here has to get hurt.” 

“Scott, she’s not going to surrender without a fight,” said Havok, placing his finger on the trigger of his pistol.

“No, Alex!” Cyclops said, noticing Charles in the room with them. He shoved Havok’s arm downward. “We need her alive! Those are the Emperor’s orders.” 

Charles looked at the two young men, recognizing them as the two soldiers Lilandra had shown him in the Astral Plane. The two young men looked to be in their early-twenties. However, looking at Scott, Charles saw a young man hardened by years of war and the scars that came with it. He could sense from Scott’s mind that the young man was rather conflicted about something. Nonetheless, Charles saw a vulnerability there within the young man’s eyes that Scott struggled to hide. 

Scott kept his firearm aimed at Lilandra, but he felt his hands beginning to shake slightly. The last thing that he wanted was to hurt her. He did not want to repeat his mistakes he’d made. As far as he was concerned, while Lilandra did commit treason against the Shi’ar, he was not about to physically harm her or the older man sitting there in the room with them. 

“Lilandra,” Cyclops said. “Please, make this easier. Come with us now.” 

“No, Scott. You don’t know what D’Ken plans on doing with the M’Kraan Crystal,” said Lilandra in a pleading tone, her eyes blazing with desperation as she looked at them. 

“That doesn’t mean you had any right to take it,” Havok said heatedly. He pointed his gun towards Charles. 

“Alex, no!” snapped Cyclops. 

“Scott, make a decision!” snapped Havok, turning to glare at his older brother. “Okay? She’s resisting her arrest! Have we got much of a choice but to be excessive?” 

“I’m not doing it!” shouted Cyclops. 

“Fine! If you won’t do it,” Havok said behind a clenched jaw. With his hand on the trigger, he fired a single bullet at Charles Xavier, hitting him square in the shoulder and causing him to fall from where he sat. 

“ALEX! WHAT DID YOU DO?!” shouted Cyclops in a panic. 

“He’ll live,” Havok replied, watching as Charles writhed on the ground in agony before aiming a bullet at Lilandra’s shoulder. 

“AARRRGH!” cried Lilandra, shouting out in pain as she fell to the ground. 

“Alex, I told you not to –!” Cyclops started to say. 

“Yeah, I heard you. And was that working?” retorted Havok. “Collect the crystal and get her in cuffs. We’ll find someplace private to question her. If she wishes to get that wound attended to, she’ll talk.” 

Cyclops sighed, sparing a glance at Charles who writhed on the ground in agony, bleeding from the bullet wound in his shoulder. He felt his chest constrict. Regardless of what Lilandra may have done, Charles hadn’t asked to be part of it in any way. He had nothing to do with the situation. But Cyclops brandished the handcuffs from his pocket, forcing Lilandra up and onto her knees. 

“You’re coming with us,” he said, trying to keep his voice void of any emotions. 

But seeing the bullet wound in her shoulder, he felt the tiniest bit of guilt there as he locked the handcuffs around her wrists tightly, letting her know that she had little to no choice in the matter. For safe measure, he pulled out a piece of cloth and tied it tightly around her head, gagging her. 

‘I never wanted anyone to get hurt,’ thought Cyclops, shaking his head. ‘Alex, I swear, you and I are going to discuss this.’ 

“On your feet,” spat Havok to Lilandra. 

Lilandra nodded beseechingly, but also reluctantly, rising to her feet as Cyclops shoved her towards Havok. But that didn’t stop her from letting out muffled protests. 

“Mmmf!” 

“No use talking,” Havok said coldly, watching as his brother gathered up the M’Kraan Crystal. “Do you have everything?” he added. 

“Yeah, I do,” Cyclops said, nodding as he forced Lilandra along towards their ship. 

He spared another guilty glance towards Charles, who was still writhing on the ground from the bullet wound to his shoulder. The small pool of blood that formed from his shoulder caused Cyclops’ stomach to twist slightly with nerves. 

Once inside the ship, he forcefully sat Lilandra down on the floor before tying her knees and ankles together with rope that they had stored on the ship. It sent another clear message that she wasn’t going anywhere, and that she had no choice but to answer to her treason. He cast her the best glare that he could muster, but he also felt the sting of guilt. The last time he’d ever felt this way, he killed a pregnant Skrull. While this was less severe than that situation had been, it didn’t mean he felt any less shitty regarding it. 

“Mmmf!” Lilandra grunted. 

“Shut up back there! You’ll have a chance to answer once we ask you questions!” spat Havok, glowering at Lilandra as Cyclops took the pilot’s chair. 

But the moment he sat in his seat, his brother began scolding him harshly, speaking in a tone that signified his “big brother” voice. 

“Alex, you shouldn’t have done that,” Cyclops scolded, shaking his head at his brother. 

“Well, what would you have liked me to do?” Havok asked. “She clearly wasn’t cooperating. Maybe now, she’ll have an incentive to talk. Think of it as a bargaining chip.” 

“And what about that man who’d been in the room with her?” asked Cyclops. “We’ve got no clue who he is, or why he was there. He didn’t ask to be put in this position!” 

“Do I look like I care right now?” Havok retorted. “Let’s just get to that citadel. It isn’t far from here. That should offer us more than enough time to question her. Whether or not she’ll comply, that’s up to her. She can make this better or worse for herself.” 

“Mmf!” Lilanda grunted again. 

“I said shut up!” spat Havok, turning around and tossing her another glare as he watched Scott start up the ship. 

Scott sighed heavily, sparing Lilandra a glance before getting the ship into the air. Placing his hands on the steering wheel of the ship, he proceeded to fly the ship as far away from Muir Island as he could. Luckily, when he and Alex had gone looking for places that they could hold Lilandra, they’d found an old castle located on an island near Ireland. It made for the perfect place to go so they could confront Lilandra in private. 

‘I hope that she’ll answer our questions,’ thought Cyclops. ‘I don’t like the idea of torturing anyone. I’ll have to make some tough choices here. But it needs to be done.’ 

“I know how you feel about it, Scott,” Havok said as they flew over the Muir Island facility. “But you know as well as I do that Lilandra’s not going to make things easy. If she stole the M’Kraan Crystal, she hasn’t got any good intentions for it. So, let’s just get her to confess, take her back to Chandilar, have D’Ken decide her punishment, and we’ll take it from there.” 

Scott sighed. “Alex, I told you not to shoot at _anyone._ I don’t want you making the mistakes I’d made. You’ll end up regretting it later.”

Alex shook his head, sighing in frustration. “At this point, Lilandra’s in a position where she could make it easier or harder. So, let’s just hope she’ll agree to make things easier,” he said. 

“And even if she _does_ make it harder, _do not_ shoot her again,” ordered Scott sternly. “That’s my final order.” 

Alex sighed heavily. “Okay, fine,” he said, shaking his head.

Turning to Lilandra, he rose from his seat before kneeling in front of her. He grabbed her chin in his hand, glowering at her. “Listen carefully, Your Highness. I’m not going to shoot you again. And that’s because my brother told me not to, so I will fulfill his request. But, I do expect you to answer any questions we have for you. Understand?” 

“Mmmf!” Lilandra moaned, struggling against her restraints. 

“Hopefully, that’s a yes,” Alex said, releasing her chin and sticking a finger against the bullet hole, hard. But it caused Lilandra to moan loudly in agony. 

“Mmmmf!” 

“Just know I can be a lot less merciful,” Alex said, turning on his heel before sitting back in his seat. He watched through the parting clouds as their ship got them closer towards Ireland.

* * *

**Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters – Bobby’s Room**

The quiet, passionate moans filled the air of Bobby Drake’s bedroom as he kept his hands intertwined with Lorna’s. He pumped in and out of her, his cock slithering smoothly into her hot, wet depths, his hips thrusting. 

Sweat cascaded down their bodies as they continued making love. Lorna’s eyes squeezed shut as she moaned in pleasure, her hands tracing the contours of Bobby’s muscles, from his biceps all the way down to his ass. She gave his butt a slight squeeze as he continued fucking her missionary style. Her breasts bounced as the bed rocked underneath them. 

“Ahhh fuck!” moaned Lorna. “Oh Bobby! I feel you . . . so deep!”

Bobby smothered her moans with an intoxicating French kiss, his tongue twirling with hers before he mumbled, “So hot . . . so wet!” 

Lorna let out a gasp as Bobby kept on pumping in and out of her, hips gyrating as naked, sweaty flesh slapped into one another. They just embraced this moment together, panting and moaning with intensifying arousal. Having not been able to have sex within the weeks of Lorna being incarcerated, they wanted to relish in the passion. 

Bobby quickened the pace of his thrusting, stimulating her G-spot and reaching a hand down to rub her clit. Lorna felt her heartbeat quickening in pace as she gasped and moaned in pleasure. Her hips went upward, following the motion of Bobby’s hips. Underneath them, the bed rocked harder as Bobby fucked her harder and faster. 

What followed afterwards was pure ecstasy. Lorna felt as though someone had reached inside her and enhanced her senses and feelings of pleasure. The heat in her pussy threatened to burst as she felt her feminine juices building. Bobby, likewise, felt he was about to reach his peak. 

“Oh-Uh-Ah fuck!” cried Lorna.

“Fuck . . . Oh fuck! Lorna . . . I’m cumming! I’m cumming!” Bobby gasped. 

“Me too!” cried Lorna. “Oh, Bobby . . . Oh I’m cumming! I want you . . .!”

“Need you . . . need to feel you cum!” groaned Bobby, picking up the pace of his thrusting as they rocked the bed even harder. He rubbed Lorna’s clit a little more intensely to help her feel more pleasure. The next thing that followed was a burst from the dams, heavy fluids spilling down Lorna’s legs as Bobby’s cock burst with cum, filling her with warmth. 

“Ahhhhh Bobby!”

“Ohhhhh Lorna!” 

Upon releasing all their cum, Bobby slid his penis out of Lorna’s vagina, gasping as they both relished the afterglow of such passion. Lorna opened her eyes, staring up at him with those beautiful eyes. Lorna reached up her hand, stroking his face gently. 

“I missed you,” she whispered. 

“So much . . . Oh Lorna,” Bobby whispered huskily before lowering down to kiss her again, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. 

Lorna’s tongue went to meet his, and together, they began another fervent make-out session, touching one another intimately to build up more arousal. Bobby reached underneath to squeeze Lorna’s butt before reaching to squeeze and knead her breasts. 

Lorna gasped, each gasp sounding as intoxicating as the next as Bobby’s hands rubbed her breasts. He pinched and licked her nipples to help with her stimulation. His tongue licked underneath her breasts before he began motorboating. He mashed her breasts in between his face, sending her further into a daze. 

“Ohh gosh! Bobby yes! Just like that!” Lorna moaned.

Bobby prolonged it, continuing to rub her breasts and smash them against his face before he rose upward, looming over her and kissing her one last time.

“Let’s go again,” he said huskily. 

“Yes . . . Oh fuck yes! More . . . give me more!” slurred Lorna. 

Bobby nodded, changing positions with Lorna. Having been separated for all those weeks, they wanted more sex and more passion. They wanted to fuck one another like they’d never fucked before, just desiring to share the moment. They didn’t know what time of night it was. It could’ve been midnight for all they cared. All they wanted was a moment of passion. 

Lorna shifted so she was on top of Bobby, in the perfect position to do cowgirl so Bobby could continue rubbing her breasts. Bobby put his legs up, feet digging into the bed as Lorna placed herself in between his legs. She kept her hands on his shoulders, giving them a squeeze before she began riding his cock. She thrust her pussy into his dick like a well-oiled piston, gyrating her hips backward and forward. She threw her head backwards, giving Bobby the perfect view of her bouncing breasts. 

Instinctively, Bobby reached his hands upward to fondle her titties, squeezing them and pinching them a little more as their moans harmonized. It only gave Lorna the incentive to ride him harder and faster. She started motioning her hips a little faster, feeling Bobby’s engorged penis entering and leaving her hot, wet vagina. She wiggled her hips along the way to tease him more so, going even faster until she felt the onslaught of her orgasm once more. Traces of her feminine fluids spilled down her legs as she felt Bobby’s erection building more the harder she rode him. 

“Oh fuck! Oh fuck!” Bobby gasped. “Lorna . . . God Lorna! I’m close!”

“Me too, Bobby! Me too!” cried Lorna. “I’m . . . I’m cumming! Together . . . let’s cum together!”

“Yes . . . Together!” moaned Bobby, feeling himself grow closer to his orgasm. His dick threatened to shoot its load as Lorna’s juices built more. A few more pelvic thrusts later, Lorna felt the onslaught of her orgasm hitting her like a hurricane. Her fluids came pouring down from her pussy as Bobby’s penis shot off its load, filling her with pleasure. 

“Ohhhh Lorna!”

“Ohhhh Bobby!” 

Their gasps harmonized as Lorna pulled her pussy out of his dick. Once she did, Bobby grabbed her in an embrace, holding her in his arms and embracing her. They panted for breath, relishing the afterglow of their passion as they stared into one another’s eyes. 

“I love you . . . Oh Lorna, love you . . . so much,” panted Bobby. 

“Bobby . . . love you,” slurred Lorna, kissing him deeply. 

But before they could build up to another make out session, they felt an intense shaking sensation, as though the Earth beneath them would shatter. It was a familiar sensation to those who’d been part of the original X-Men team. They all knew Jean Grey well enough to know when she was having a psychic-induced nightmare and resulted in power surges. 

Quickly, the two teenagers slipped on the nearest articles of clothing they could, those being boxers, panties, a t-shirt, and an oversized sweatshirt before rushing down the halls to Jean’s bedroom. They saw the others rushing towards Jean’s room as well. As they did so, they felt the shaking increasing around them. 

“What the fuck’s happening?” roared Logan. 

“One of Jean’s nightmares,” explained Warren, being the first one to open the door. Upon entering the room, they saw Jean lying on her bed, Phoenix fire wrapped around her unconscious form as bright, orange veins appeared on her face. Tears streaked her face as she moaned out loud. But what was so startling about this episode she had; she spoke in a voice that sounded like the Phoenix. 

**_“Lilandra!”_** she moaned, her eyes flashing open to reveal her irises were hot orange. **_“Charles! Where are they?”_**

“What’s she talking about?” asked Ororo. 

“I don’t know,” said Warren, shaking his head. 

As much as they didn’t understand what the Phoenix was saying, it did not mean it was any less startling to listen to. Seeing Jean in such a distressed state was disconcerting enough. But the tone the Phoenix used seemingly made it worse. 

**_“Charles Xavier . . .!”_** the Phoenix stammered out. 

“If there’s something wrong with the professor,” whispered Piotr. 

“I don’t know, lad,” Sean said, shaking his head. 

“I’ve never seen her display behavior like this,” Kevin said, shaking his head at the sight. “This is different.” 

Suddenly, that was when the phone rang shrilly throughout the mansion. It seemed to freeze time itself as everyone tensed. But after a few tense moments, Hank rushed into the room, his eyes moving from Jean’s twitching body to the X-Men present in the room. 

“That was Moira MacTaggart from Muir Island,” Hank said breathlessly. “She said we need to leave at once. She found Charles in his room in the psychic ward. He was shot!” 

“WHAT?!” shouted Warren, his eyes growing wide as he shared panicked glances with Kurt, Lorna, and Bobby. 

“Who would do something like that?” asked Bobby, practically choking on his words. 

“I don’t know. We won’t know until we speak to the professor,” said Hank. 

“But what about Jeannie?” asked Logan, sparing a glance at the redhead who looked as though she were having a seizure. 

“He’s right. Ve can’t just leave her here!” Kurt said.

“I’ll stay with her,” said a determined Candy Southern from where she stood next to Warren. 

Warren cast a bewildered glance at his girlfriend. “Are you sure you can handle that?” he asked her. 

Candy nodded. “Yes. Besides, I’ll have Illyana with me,” she said, glancing at Illyana who nodded in agreement. 

“Will you be alright staying here, snowflake?” asked Piotr. 

Illyana nodded. “Da, big brother. Go with the others. I can handle it.” 

“Alright, X-Men, suit up and be prepared to board the Blackbird in five minutes,” said Ororo, taking charge as field leader but not before sparing Jean a worried glance. As scared as she was for her friend’s wellbeing, she also knew that she had to step up for the team. 

With that said, the X-Men all piled out of Jean’s room as Candy and Illyana sat on either side of the sweaty, twitching young woman. However, Logan lingered behind, glancing at Jean for longer. It was no mystery to anyone on the team how Logan felt about her. Except that attraction he had for her had bloomed into feelings of _love,_ and not just lust. 

“Go, Logan. We’ll take care of her,” insisted Candy, taking Jean’s hand into hers and giving it a soft squeeze. 

Logan nodded reluctantly, backing out of Jean’s room and leaving her in Illyana and Candy’s care. But as Candy looked at her friend, she felt an overwhelming worry and concern. 

“What’s happening with you, Jean?” she whispered, running her fingers through Jean’s hair gently.

* * *

**Cassidy Keep**

“Well, at least we’re here,” Alex said. “Hopefully, she’ll cooperate and we’ll get the answers we need.”

The flight towards the citadel they’d found before capturing Lilandra hadn’t taken as long as they anticipated. But the whole time, Scott felt his nerves run through him. He kept on glancing at Lilandra, who was still bleeding from the bullet wound in her shoulder. He had to apply pressure and get the bleeding in her shoulder to stop. However, they had to question Lilandra in any way that they deemed necessary. 

He knew without a doubt that he more than likely wasn’t going to like the approaches Alex had in mind at all. But he also wanted answers from Lilandra regarding the treason that she committed. 

“I hope so,” Scott said, sparing Lilandra another glance as she struggled against her restraints. 

He proceeded to land the ship down near the citadel’s shoreline. Once landed in the sandy beaches of the privatized island, he brandished his hunting knife so that he could easily pick the lock on the door if there was one. Rising from his seat once the ship landed, he opened the doors and gathered up the M’Kraan Crystal as he nodded for Alex to grab Lilandra. 

Alex stalked over towards Lilandra, who remained tied up and gagged. Grabbing her by her arm, he forced her up and onto her feet, dragging her along, for that her ankles and knees were tied too tightly together. 

Dragging her along through the sands of the shoreline, Alex followed Scott to the front doors of the citadel, which Scott managed to pick open using his knife. Together, the three entered before Scott slammed the doors shut and placed a chair over the door, making sure that it was securely there before pushing a table against it. 

“That should hold,” Scott noted, leading them up the stairs of the citadel. 

The citadel itself was quite grand, decorated with family crests that hung on the walls as well as family portraits. The fact that it didn’t seem occupied was a good sign of things to come. As they made their way up the stairs of the citadel, Alex dragged Lilandra around. She was practically being dragged like a dog at this point, as her ankles and knees were tied together far too tightly to support her weight to stand up. But that didn’t stop her from struggling against her restraints and moaning behind the gag in her mouth as Scott led the way up the stairs. 

Before they could make their way up the stairwell further, though, they were stopped by a series of vines tangling around their ankles which sent them hanging upside down from the ceiling. The vines wrapped up from around their ankles and torsos, rendering them unable to move.

“Scott,” grunted Alex. “What . . . What’s happening?” 

“Don’t know,” grunted Scott, struggling to free his wrists so he could cut himself free from the vines. But as they struggled against their restraints, they were greeted by the sight of a dark-haired older man with crystal blue eyes. He had a mustache and beard, and was dressed in a trench coat and tie as he moved forward to greet them. 

“Who comes ‘ere invading Cassidy Keep?” asked the man in a thick, Irish accent. 

“Who are you?” grunted Scott. 

“That depends on who ye are, and whether or not ye’d tell me,” the man said, glancing at a bound and gagged Lilandra. 

“Our names are Cyclops and Havok,” Alex said. But before he could say more, Scott cut his brother off sharply, glaring at him. 

“What are you doing?” he snapped. 

“Cyclops, he could be an ally in this,” Alex insisted. “Think about it. We’d need all the help we can get here. And if he’s willing to help, I’m not one to turn that offer down.”

“Or he’ll just screw us over! How do you know he can be trusted?” Scott said. 

“Oh, I can assure ye both I won’t, if we have the same goal, that is,” the man said. “Me name’s Black Tom Cassidy. Why are ye here?” 

“We’re here because of this woman.” Alex gestured with his head towards Lilandra, who was still struggling against her restraints. “She committed treason. We need a space for us to interrogate her; after that, we’ll be on our way out of here. If you can help us hold down the fort, we’d appreciate that.” 

Black Tom pondered this for a moment or two. He scrutinized the two young men before him. He saw in their eyes that they were being sincere, except Cyclops seemed reluctant to go along with trusting a total stranger. There was also something different about them, though. The two young men before him didn’t seem to be from Earth. 

“Ye aren’t from around here, aren’t ye?” asked Black Tom. 

“How did you guess?” asked Scott, still grunting as he struggled. 

“Based on the weapons ye’ve both got and the way ye both dress, I’d think ye are from another planet. We haven’t got that ‘ere in Ireland, or anywhere on Earth for that matter,” Black Tom elaborated with a smile. 

“Yeah, we aren’t,” Alex said. “We’re from a planet known as Chandilar, and we’re members of the Imperial Guard there.” 

“Aliens?” asked Black Tom. But the way that he looked at them, he didn’t seem to think that they were crazy or liars. 

“No, we aren’t aliens. But we were taken in by aliens after our parents died in an accident,” said Alex. 

“You almost seem unsurprised,” noted Scott, shocked that this man believed them at all. 

“Young lad, believe it or not, I’ve got belief in the impossible,” Black Tom conceded. “Let’s just say, I’ve got a friend with powers one would call impossible.” 

With a wave of his hand, Black Tom caused the vine-like restraints to untangle from Scott, Alex and Lilandra. All three collapsed onto the ground. Alex rose to his feet, grabbing Lilandra by her arm and forcing her up and onto her knees. 

“I’ll help ye. I’ll even get this friend of mine involved if ye can give me something in return,” Black Tom said. 

“We’ll pay you after all this is done,” Alex said sincerely. 

“Al’ight then,” Black Tom said. “I can show ye to a room that should be secure enough for what ye must do.” 

“Thank you,” said Alex. Glancing down at Lilandra, he ordered, “On your feet!” 

Lilandra nodded as Alex forced her up and onto her feet, dragging her along up the stairs as they followed Black Tom Cassidy towards one of the master bedrooms in Cassidy Keep. All the while, Lilandra kept struggling and moaning as she was led towards a room at the top of the stairs, at the end of the hallway. Upon Black Tom opening the door to the master bedroom, he allowed Scott and Alex to go inside the room with Lilandra. 

“Hold down the entrance outside, in case anyone tries coming in,” said Alex as Scott grabbed a chair that was in the room. He forced Lilandra to sit in the chair, placing her arms behind the back of it. Once she was securely in the chair and the doors to the bedroom were locked, Alex roughly pulled the gag out of her mouth. 

Lilandra panted for breath, still in immense pain from the bullet wound in her shoulder. She looked towards Scott and Alex as they prepared to question her. 

“Now, do you mind us asking a few questions?” asked Alex. 

“And what are you going to do if I resist?” asked Lilandra. “Torture me until I agree to come with you?” 

“If you cooperate, that’ll determine your outcome,” said Scott. “Your Highness, I didn’t want it to come to this.” 

“Oh, I’m sure you didn’t,” Lilandra said dryly. 

“Your Highness, just tell us why you stole the M’Kraan Crystal,” ordered Alex. 

“I took it because it isn’t for D’Ken to access,” said Lilandra. “He doesn’t get to decide whether or not the power of the Phoenix Force is his to yield. Whatever he told you regarding the crystal’s power, those were half-truths. I will _not_ allow him to –!” 

She was cut off as Alex plunged two fingers deeply into the bullet wound, which got her screaming in agony. 

“Ahhhhhh!” she yelled out. 

“I can make this pain better, or worse,” Alex whispered, lodging his fingers deeper into the wound, causing the bullet to go in even deeper into her shoulder. “It can get better if you just give us an answer.” 

Lilandra continued writhing in the chair, screaming in agony as Alex’s fingers went in even deeper. He was forcing the bullet into her shoulder wound even further, which intensified the bleeding. Blood seeped from the wound and seemed to spit out. However, Scott grabbed Alex by the arm roughly, pulling him away from Lilandra. 

“Alex, that’s enough!” snapped Scott. 

“Scott, let me confront her!” Alex argued. “We aren’t going to get our answers by playing nice!” 

“And if you torture her for that information, she’ll just tell you anything to get the pain to stop! We have to be smart, Alex! You know that!” Scott said, his hands clenched into fists. “Look, I know you want answers. But there are other ways of getting them. Okay?” 

Alex pondered this for a moment or two. Although he was highly reluctant to take Scott’s less aggressive approach, he nodded beseechingly. “Fine, we’ll try it your way,” he agreed. 

Scott nodded, turning to Lilandra and walking towards her. Staring down at her, he crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Your Highness,” he said. “I'm not asking for much. All I ask is that you tell us why you stole the M’Kraan Crystal.” 

Lilandra looked right back at him, an obvious stubbornness residing there. “I took it because D’Ken isn’t meant to be the one to yield such power. He wants it for his own greed, Scott. He’ll do anything to enhance his notoriety, even if it means putting the Universe at risk.” 

“You’re lying,” Alex said angrily. “That man raised us! He trained us. He wouldn’t lie.” 

“Well, I am telling you that he’s lying to you both,” said Lilandra. “I know you two are loyal to him. I know you both feel that you owe him –” 

“He saved our lives!” insisted Alex. 

“I know you think that,” Lilandra said. 

“No, we know that,” Scott said. “There’s no use in lying, Lilandra.” 

Lilandra sat there, knowing that it would be near impossible to convince Scott and Alex that their guardian – the closest thing to a father figure they’d had ever since the deaths of their parents – had been lying to them all these years. But she knew somehow, she had to convince them to be on her side. 

‘I know they might not believe me, but I need to try,’ she thought, watching as Scott and Alex both paced the room, thinking of ways to get her to talk.

* * *

**Muir Island Research Facility – Medical Bay**

“Professor, are you _sure_ that you are alright?” asked Kevin Sydney, bewildered by the sight. They were all surrounding the professor, who lay on the metal medical table while Hank sutured the professor’s bullet wound. 

Upon their arrival to Muir Island, they’d been greeted by Rahne and Moira, who relented to them all what they’d found. They ended up finding the professor on the floor in his room, bleeding from a bullet wound to the shoulder. However, what none of them knew yet was who had done it. 

“I’ll heal,” Charles insisted. 

“Yeah, no shit, bub,” Logan retorted, extracting his claws from his fists. “All we wanna know is who fucking shot you. Leave me alone with that motherfucker for five minutes!” 

“Logan, no!” Ororo said sternly. “We cannot have you going on a rampage over this. We must do this responsibly.” 

“Yeah, sure, Storm,” Logan snarled, rolling his eyes. 

“Just tell us who shot you, Professor,” said Bobby. 

“Start from the beginning,” said Sean. “How did it all come to this?” 

Charles heaved in a deep breath as he felt Beast finishing with the stitches. As a bandage got wrapped over the wound, he said, “As you know, I’ve been having psychic visions as of late. I . . . tonight, I ended up meeting the individual responsible. Her name is Lilandra. She didn’t get around to telling me much, but she told me enough to let me know that the fate of the Universe is at stake.” 

“Well who is she?” asked Lorna. “Because Jean referred to her – or at least the Phoenix did.” 

“Indeed, Lorna, because there’s a link between the power that’s within Jean, and Lilandra. According to Lilandra, this power is known as the Phoenix Force. Apparently, this Phoenix Force has had many hosts over the years, some of them using the Phoenix’s power for their own greed. This led to destruction of whole galaxies from over thousands of years prior,” Charles explained. 

Everyone shuddered, feeling a sharp shiver going down their spines. Just hearing the details alone was disconcerting. 

“She said she ended up committing treason against her people, who are known as the Shi’ar,” Charles further elaborated. “She only got around to telling me that her brother is the Shi’ar emperor, and that he has ill intent for an artifact known to the Shi’ar as the M’Kraan Crystal. It’s said to be home for the Phoenix Force. After that, she didn’t get to finish, because two people arrived to take her prisoner.” 

“Did you hear zheir names?” asked Kurt. 

Charles nodded, closing his eyes. “They go by Cyclops and Havok. But their real names are Scott and Alex. I didn’t get a chance to read their minds. But I was able to sense Cyclops’ emotions. He had this sense of confliction . . . as though he were highly reluctant to use excessive force. His brother, on the other hand, was a little too willing.” 

“Great, so we’re dealing with two rotten punks in need of an ass kicking. This oughtta be fun,” growled Logan. 

“Logan, regardless of what they may have done, you aren’t going to do _anything_ that’ll cause harm to them,” insisted Hank. 

“Why not?” Logan snarled. “It’d serve them right!” 

“Perhaps,” said Ororo. “But Charles just said that one of them has lines that he won’t cross. Maybe there’s a chance we can find a way to get through to them.” 

“Get through to them?” Logan retorted. 

“Somehow, I doubt we’d be able to,” Piotr said. 

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to that,” decided Sean. “Charles, did ye get a sense of where Lilandra was being taken?” 

“No, Sean. But I can do a telepathic search for her. They couldn’t have gone far,” said Charles. “And when I do learn of their location, I am coming with you all.” 

“But Professor, you’re in no condition,” said Kevin, shaking his head. 

“Morph, I’ll be able to help with this,” insisted the professor. “I just need some time to search for her. Once I do, we will leave at once.” 

Everyone reluctantly took heed to the professor’s words. However, nothing could ever prepare them for what was to come. They didn’t know what to expect. But they got the sense that this would be the greatest battle they’d ever had to fight yet. They faced Magneto and other unstoppable forces before. But aliens were a different species altogether.

* * *

**Up next: Forging Bonds**


	5. Forging Bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used:  
> Everything Goes Black by Skillet

**Issue 5: Forging** **Bonds**

**Muir Island Psychic Ward – Six Years Ago**

“Ye’re leaving tomorrow?” asked a dazed Kevin MacTaggart from the other side of the window separating his bedroom. 

“Yeah, I go back to the institute tomorrow morning,” she said to him. “It’s funny. I think I’m gonna miss this place.” 

“I doubt it,” Kevin said distantly, a sign of his powers beginning to flare up. 

Fourteen-year-old Jean Grey nodded, sighing as she conversed with Kevin. Glancing at him – the closest friend that she had in this facility – she reflected upon her time on Muir Island. 

At first, she’d been reluctant to come here for treatment. But upon meeting Kevin, she realized she wasn’t alone. Spending time with him, it allowed her to see that there were others suffering. And having undergone treatments of her own, she realized what she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to use her powers to reach out to others and see if she could – in any capacity – help people. 

“In my time here, I’ve learned a lot,” said Jean. “I learned that my powers aren’t a curse, and that I have a chance to do something with my life. I want to make a difference in the world. This is not the end. It’s a new beginning.” 

“A new beginning. I’m glad ye are getting that,” mused Kevin, glancing at her. “I wish I had that chance.” 

“One day you will,” Jean said, trying to be optimistic. 

She kept her tone as bright as she could, but she suspected it would be much harder for him to have control. 

Kevin sighed, shaking his head at her. “Jean, I’m glad ye are trying to be positive. But I can’t go outside; I’d just hurt people.” 

“I felt that way, too,” Jean told him. 

“The difference is, ye now have control over your powers,” pointed out Kevin. “I don’t think I ever will, Jean.” 

Jean nodded empathetically, placing her hand on the glass windowpane that separated Kevin’s room from the hallway. However, before she could add more to the conversation, Kevin had more to say. 

“Ye know, Jean,” he said. “I always felt there was something different about ye.” 

“Different how?” she asked. 

Kevin got up from where he sat on his bed and walked towards the window, placing his hand on the glass separating them. As he looked deeply into Jean’s emerald eyes, he seemed to be deep in thought before he began speaking in a rather distant tone. 

“I just feel ye are supposed to be something more,” he whispered. “Ye have potential to be something stronger . . . something bigger than either of us.”

“Kevin, is your _other identity_ coming through?” Jean asked, weary. 

Whenever Kevin started using a description like this, it was typically a sign of his dissociative identity acting up. She considered calling Moira to give Kevin another dose of medicine, but Kevin held his hand up and shook his head at her. 

“I’m serious, Jean,” Kevin said. “I see potential in ye to become even more powerful. I know ye may not understand it now, but one day, ye will. Not even Professor Xavier can understand it.” 

Jean sighed, taking heed to Kevin’s words for a brief moment. She did not know exactly what he was trying to tell her. However, there was also a part of her that brushed it aside, thinking it to just be Kevin rambling about something rather random. With Kevin, his musings were often a twisted jumble, not often meaning anything significant. However, before Kevin could continue with musings, Jean decided to change the subject.

“Kevin,” she said. “I came here to not just say goodbye. I’m sure you heard I’ve begun teaching myself to play guitar.” 

Kevin nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “Mum says ye’ve discovered new talents.” 

Jean nodded, smiling. “Yeah, it’s been keeping me busy. I’ve also been writing a few songs, too.” 

“Wait, there are Jean originals? Why haven’t ye played one?” asked Kevin, suddenly intrigued. 

“They’re a work in progress,” Jean said with a smile. “But it’s been doing me some good. I forgot how much I loved music these past few years. I did learn a new song, though.” 

Jean proceeded to rush towards her room in the psychic ward, where her guitar happened to be. She remembered when she’d asked Moira for one, as she needed something to help keep her mind occupied. She figured if she were here for treatment for the next few months, she might as well make use of her time. 

And Moira saw an improvement in Jean’s mental state upon the girl finding different things to do. Over the course of her past few months in treatment, Jean realized her love for music, drawing, and journaling. She had a rather photographic memory and was able to draw detailed images that were rather impressive. 

Walking into her room, she saw her walls still covered in her artwork of birds, fire, and the SR-77 Blackbird. Knowing she had to take down those pieces of art and pack them away caused her heart to sink a little. For the past several months or so, Muir Island had become like home to her. But at the same time, she also was more than happy to return to the institute, begin her classes, and forge a connection with her newest classmate, Warren Worthington III. 

One of the things she was most grateful for would be the connection she managed to forge with Kevin. By reaching out to him, it made her realize that she had a gift for connecting with others

‘Now, all I want is to have more connections,’ she thought. ‘I want to use my powers by means to grow close to other people. Now’s my chance to have more friendships, and possibly, find love with someone.’

Venturing further into her room, she walked to where her acoustic guitar happened to be. Grabbing it, she exited her temporary bedroom and walked back to where she’d been sitting by Kevin’s room. Sitting down in the chair, she positioned the guitar in her lap and used her telekinesis to control the strings, before strumming it by telekinesis. 

It was almost unnecessary for her to use a guitar pick, given the scope of her powers and what she could do. She considered playing the guitar as means for her to practice controlling her powers. Between her telekinesis, as well as her photographic memory thanks to her telepathy, she was able to play the guitar with ease. As she strummed at the instrument using her powers, Jean thought of the song that she wanted to play in that moment. Closing her eyes, she started singing softly. 

_Chasing these shadows around this darkened room_

_I’ve laid here so long I don’t even want to move_

_I need a minute now to heal_

_I need a minute now to remember how to feel_

_Whenever you’re gone away_

_The darkness hides the day_

_Whenever you’re gone the bleeding won’t stop_

_It hurts 'til you come back_

_Everything goes black_

_Everything goes black_

_I reached out for you when I needed you to be here_

_All alone chasing these shadows_

_I don’t want the pain but I’d rather hurt than not care_

_It’s so long, you’ve been away from here_

_I need a reason now to heal_

_I need something to believe in_

_I need a reason now to remember how to feel_

_Whenever you’re gone away_

_The darkness hides the day_

_Whenever you’re gone the bleeding won’t stop_

_It hurts 'til you come back_

_Everything goes black_

_Everything goes black_

Jean stopped playing in that moment, her voice trailing off as she allowed a soft smile to appear upon her lips. Glancing up, she saw Kevin watching her with a thoughtful smile on his face. 

“Where’d ye hear that song?” he asked her. 

“Something my sister used to listen to,” Jean said, setting her guitar aside. “She listened to it a lot when my parents divorced. She claimed it made her feel at peace. At the time, I couldn’t see how anyone could feel peaceful. Between my powers, and needing to feel my mother’s despair, I’d lost hope that things were going to turn out okay. What followed afterwards only made it worse.” 

“But what about now?” asked Kevin. 

“Now . . . I just don’t know,” Jean said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever fully get over what happened with my parents and my sister. I still can’t fully forgive my father and my mother for all they’d done. But I’ll try to.” 

“Why?” Kevin asked. 

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” insisted Jean. 

But judging by Jean’s tone, Kevin sensed there was a part of her that was never going to forgive her father and mother for all that had happened. He could hear in her voice that although she was desperately trying, there was the tiniest part of her that seeked something darker. 

“Ye say ye will try to,” Kevin whispered. “But is there a part of ye that _doesn’t_ want to forgive?” 

Jean glanced at him, looking into Kevin’s eyes. It was as though he could read into what she secretly desired. It was the part of her that she desperately wanted to remain hidden; the side of her that she pushed back. 

‘How could he know?’ she thought, wringing her hands together. 

She remembered that Kevin had a rather grandiose outlook in general. Despite being a little boy, Kevin’s powers made him far older, mentally. His powers weren’t just Omega-level. His dissociative identity disorder also made his powers that much more dangerous. He claimed to have a greater outlook on the world than most. But Jean also knew that not all Kevin had to say was one-hundred percent true. 

“I um . . .” Jean started saying. “I’d rather not talk about that.” 

The fact that Kevin was revealing something that made her so vulnerable left her uncomfortable. She didn’t quite know whether or not Kevin was telling her the truth, or if he was just saying these things to mess with her. While she was used to hearing Kevin talk nonsense, she also knew there might be a small amount of truth to what he said. 

“Jean, ye can’t help what ye want,” continued Kevin. 

“Kevin, please,” Jean said, shaking her head. “I think it’s time you get more medicine. You aren’t making sense.” 

“Jean, ye know I’m making a point. Ye are destined to become something greater than ye already are,” Kevin whispered, his eyes starting to glow as his bedroom started warping. 

“No, Kevin,” Jean said, shaking her head once more. “Goodbye; hopefully, I’ll see you again sometime soon.” 

Rising from her seat, Jean proceeded to leave for her own bedroom in the psychic ward. But as she walked back in her room, she telepathically called to Moira that Kevin was in need of more sedatives. Looking around her room, she took in the artwork that hung on her walls. The repetitive images of birds and fire glared right back at her. They reflected images that she oftentimes saw in her dreams, but she chalked it up to just lingering PTSD from all she’d been through. 

Going towards the pictures she’d painted and drawn over the course of her treatment, she telekinetically removed them and placed them inside a folder Moira had given her. But as she did so, a spark of orange fires flared in her emerald eyes. She didn’t think anything of it. She was going back home to the Xavier Institute, and would be starting her eighth-grade education; the first bit of normalcy she’d had in a long time.

* * *

**Jean’s Room – Present Day**

**_“Lilandra!”_** moaned a distressed Jean Grey, the Phoenix speaking through her. Her eyes glowed hot orange and a not-so-subtle glow formed around her body. 

For the past hour or so now, Jean Grey had been experiencing strange seizures and visions. She continuously went in and out of unconsciousness, moaning in distress as she writhed on the bed. Over and over, she kept repeating herself. It was truly a disconcerting sight for Candy Southern and Illyana Rasputin, who sat there watching this unfold. 

Candy kept Jean’s hand in hers very tightly, brushing her fingers through the other girl’s hair. But even that didn’t seem to soothe the redhead. Jean’s body was soaked with sweat; her face chalk white. 

“What’s happening with you, Jean?” Candy asked aloud, even though her friend couldn’t hear her. 

**_“Lilandra . . . she’s in danger!”_** Jean cried out. **_“Oh, heavens! I must stop this before it’s too late!”_**

“What is she talking about?” Candy asked worriedly. 

“I don’t know. She keeps mentioning someone named Lilandra. But who is that? I don’t know. All we know is, the professor mentioned this woman in passing,” Illyana said, shaking her head. “It doesn’t make sense. Unless, the Phoenix is somehow connected to Lilandra.” 

But Jean kept on moaning on the bed, writhing as if she were in agony. Whatever was going on, it affected not just Jean. It affected the Phoenix, as well. Since the Phoenix and Jean were now one being, Jean felt everything the Phoenix felt. It was a sight that Candy had never seen before. Of course, she’d witnessed Jean have a share of nightmares. But to this extent, it was disconcerting. 

“Phoenix!” moaned Jean, speaking normally as the glow began fading around her and her eyes went back to their regular emerald green. “What’s wrong?”

**_“Lilandra has my crystal!”_** cried out the Phoenix again as Jean’s appearance went back to the fiery form of the Phoenix Force. **_“Someone is trying to take it! If it gets brought back to Chandilar, everything . . . will . . . burn!”_**

Candy shuddered, hardly able to understand. She just kept on holding Jean’s hand, squeezing it to try calming her. However, that didn’t seem to help at all. In fact, it only seemed to add to Jean’s distress as she grew more agitated. 

**_“I must find Lilandra! I must . . .!”_** Jean cried out again, her eyes flashing open to reveal a pair of orange orbs staring upward. Her face began having fiery veins appearing along her cheeks and her neck. The glow around her intensified, and a pair of bright orange wings sprouted from her back. 

“Jean, what are you doing?” asked Illyana. 

But what happened next surprised both Candy and Illyana greatly as they watched Jean transform even further. Jean’s body levitated off the bed a few feet in the air, and her pajamas disintegrated from her body, rendering her completely nude. It was a sight that neither Candy nor Illyaya were used to. This was the same Jean Grey who would blush profusely at the sight of someone shirtless. 

Now, she stood there before them, unabashedly naked. Her breasts, vagina, legs, and butt were completely exposed for a moment or two, before clothing appeared on her as the warm glow around her increased. In a flash, her naked flesh was covered in the green dress she’d been clothed with after bonding with the Phoenix. The tattoo-like symbol of the Phoenix, which was on her arm, seemed to glow as her fiery wings flapped slightly. 

It was a sight that proved to be shocking. Jean Grey had changed significantly. And just by looking at her, Candy and Illyana saw this was no doubt the Phoenix persona taking over Jean’s mind and body. And as Jean looked at them, her eyes flared with Phoenix fire. 

**_“I must go. I have my mission.”_ **

“What mission?” asked Illyana. 

**_“To ensure the safety of the Universe,”_** the Phoenix whispered. 

And with a loud, bird-like screech and a burst of fire, Phoenix flames wrapped around Jean’s body in a flash of light. What Candy and Illyana saw next stunned them both. They watched as Jean’s figure disappeared before their eyes, and in her place, was a small, orange bird made of pure flames. Except the bird looked at them with a pair of emerald eyes. 

**_“I’ll be back once my mission is over, my friends,”_** said the Phoenix softly, before letting out another bird-like screech and flying out Jean’s bedroom window. Candy and Illyana raced to the opened window which led to Jean’s balcony. The Phoenix flew off in the night, leaving behind a trail of orange flames as she kept on screeching. 

“What was _that_?” asked Candy. 

“I don’t know,” Illyana whispered, shaking her head. “But let’s hope that Jean will be okay.”

* * *

**Cassidy Keep**

“Sean, you say that this is your family’s private island?” asked Storm, leading the team towards Cassidy Keep. 

“Yes, lass,” replied Banshee, taking a break from letting out a loud, sonic screech. “And I know who could’ve done this.” 

“Who would that be?” asked Angel, who was transporting Wolverine. 

“Me cousin, Black Tom Cassidy,” said Banshee in a grim tone. 

“Judging by his name, something tells me he’s quite a pest,” snarled Wolverine. 

“Ye have no idea, Wolverine. Black Tom was the black sheep of me family. For some reason, he always had it out for me. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s doing this to get under me skin,” Banshee said, shaking his head as he kept on flying, leading them towards the island. 

The X-Men were all weary about partaking in this mission. Knowing that they had to face off against two soldiers – who just so happened to be about their age – was quite daunting. However, they also knew it to be necessary. 

According to Professor Xavier, Lilandra had been kidnapped and got taken here. But something told them all that whoever captured her wasn’t going to make it easy in the least. 

The only members missing were Beast and Professor X, who opted to stay behind on Muir Island unless they were absolutely needed. However, it did not mean that they weren’t standing by. 

‘Remember, X-Men, be on guard,’ called the telepathic voice of Charles Xavier. ‘Those two young men, Cyclops and Havok, are well-trained. Havok didn’t hesitate to shoot me or Lilandra; he’s concerned with getting the job done in whichever way he deems necessary. Cyclops, on the other hand, you might be able to get through since he showed more restraint.’ 

“Somehow, I doubt it,” snarled Wolverine. 

“Wolverine, you don’t know. Perhaps, we can get them to see our side,” said Storm. 

“Do you really believe that, Storm?” asked Morph, who’d taken on the appearance of Storm for this mission so he’d be able to fly. 

“It’s worth trying,” pointed out Polaris, who was transporting Colossus using her magnetism powers. 

“There!” yelled Banshee, pointing towards the large, towering citadel sitting on a private island, just off the coast of Ireland. “That’s Cassidy Keep!” 

The citadel was quite imposing. It towered over ten stories high, and was ornamented with banners that held images of the Cassidy family coat of arms. It seemed to reach high up into the clouds as the waves crashed against the shoreline. To say it was quite a grand sight would be an understatement. 

“It’s remarkable,” remarked Nightcrawler, who was being transported by Banshee for this mission. 

“It’s been part of me family since the 1800 hundreds. Me father chose me to inherit it. Since then, it’s been home when I am not in the institute or on Muir Island. If Black Tom is occupying it, I can only imagine what for,” said Banshee, shaking his head. 

“So, we’re expecting one hell of a fight,” said Iceman, who was below them making a frozen path of ice so he could travel across the ocean. 

Banshee said nothing as they kept flying towards the shoreline of Cassidy Keep. Upon landing down in the sands, none of the X-Men accounted to hear loud, booming footsteps filling the atmosphere. It seemed to shake the world around them as they tried approaching the citadel. 

“Oh, no!” whispered Angel. 

“Angel, what’s wrong?” asked Storm. 

“Dammit!” Polaris’ eyes grew wide. ‘Professor, are you sensing anything?’

‘Yes, Polaris,’ replied Professor X grimly. 

“What is it?” asked Colossus. 

“It’s the Juggernaut!” Iceman bemoaned in dread. 

“Who the fuck is Juggernaut?” retorted Wolverine. 

But just as Wolverine asked that question, the towering form of the Juggernaut came into view. He was a huge, hulking, imposing man with a huge, muscular body. He was probably at least twenty-feet tall. But what stood out the most about him was he wore a dark red armor and a helmet on his head that concealed his face. 

“Does _that_ answer your question?” asked a weary Morph, morphing back to his regular form. 

“HAHAH! I SEE MY BABY BROTHER BROUGHT HIS PETS TO COME AND FIGHT! HOW CUTE?” Juggernaut asked. 

“What kind of mutation does _he_ have?” asked Colossus. 

“It’s not a mutation. It’s magic. On top of that, he’s the professor’s step-brother,” Iceman said. 

_“Magic?”_ asked a shocked Nightcrawler. 

“THAT’S RIGHT, BOBBY! I AM UNSTOPPABLE!” roared Juggernaut. “WOW! YOU AND POLARIS GOT SO BIG SINCE I LAST SAW YOU! ARE YOU OLD ENOUGH TO DRIVE?” 

“Hey! I _am_ old enough to drive!” yelled Iceman, his face shifting into an annoyed glare. “I’m seventeen and . . . oh just shut up! Just shut up, Juggernaut!” 

“Don’t let him get to you, Bobby,” insisted Morph. “We took him down last time; we can do it again.” 

“Yeah, except last time, we had Jean and the professor with us!” said Angel. “And even then, we took a beating. I couldn’t fly for weeks after what he’d done to my wings!” 

“Juggernaut, how did ye even get here?” asked Banshee. “I thought we locked ye up in Fort Leavenworth.” 

“I HAVE FRIENDS, TOO, BANSHEE!” laughed Juggernaut in a gloating tone. 

“Ye aren’t the type to make friends, Cain,” said Banshee. “Unless me cousin made a deal with ye.” 

“It doesn’t matter how Cain got here, Mr. Cassidy,” said Angel, shaking his head. “We have no choice. Until the professor gets here, we’ll have to fend for ourselves. Storm, give us some assistance please.” 

Storm nodded, her eyes turning white as thunder clapped in the atmosphere. The skies darkened considerably as the clouds blacked out the moon. What followed next was a heavy rain that went pouring down. The waves crashed as Storm controlled the air pressure, causing the water to tower over them and hit the Juggernaut square on. 

“DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD STOP ME?” laughed Juggernaut, running towards them. 

“Ha! This oughtta be fun,” snarled Wolverine, extracting his claws. “How about I send ya packing, in pieces?” 

“If only it were that simple, Wolverine!” Iceman said, forming an ice shell around his body and firing a blast of ice towards the Juggernaut’s feet. But Juggernaut broke his way out of it like it was nothing. “There’s only one way to stop him! Knock that helmet off his head, and have Jean or the professor knock him out telepathically. And since neither of them is here –!” 

“We’ll have to make due,” said Morph in a dread-filled tone. 

“Ye heard ‘im, X-Men!” shouted Banshee. “Ye all stay here and handle Juggernaut. I’m going to go and find me cousin.” 

“I’m coming with you, Banshee,” said Wolverine. “Yer gonna need backup.” 

Banshee nodded, and together, he and Wolverine ran off towards the citadel. Polaris desperately tried using her magnetism to remove the latches that kept Juggernaut’s helmet intact. However, she found it exceedingly impossible to do so, since he kept swinging his arms around. She watched as Colossus went into his metal form, and he pushed himself up against the Juggernaut to try shoving him away. But even then, Colossus seemed to be straining just to do that. 

“Professor, vill zhere be anyvay you can get here?” asked Nightcrawler, teleporting atop the Juggernaut to see if he could remove his helmet. 

‘Hank and I are on our way, along with Rahne,’ said Charles. ‘Just keep him busy, X-Men.’

“Yeah, like that is ever easy,” Iceman said, still trying to freeze Juggernaut in place. 

He circled the imposing man, forming ice around him to see if he could at least put him in a block of ice. But Juggernaut proved to be stronger, breaking his way out of it with ease. Although Bobby was close to an Omega-level mutation, magic proved to overpower even the strongest mutant. 

Colossus rammed into Juggernaut once more, trying so hard to push him back. Despite that, Juggernaut was much stronger as Colossus dug his feet deeply into the sand beneath him.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Over on Banshee and Wolverine’s side, they were making their way up the winding stairway towards the interior of the citadel on Cassidy Keep. However, they kept on getting interrupted by vine-like restraints trying to tie them up. Luckily, Wolverine cut through these vines with ease. 

“Dammit, Black Tom!” yelled Banshee. “Ye really _are_ trying to make this harder!” 

“He’s desperate,” snarled Wolverine, cutting through more vines that came seemingly out of nowhere. However, the two were caught by surprise when a bright, red blast of energy hit them one at a time, sending them tumbling backwards. 

“Who the _fuck_ did that?” snarled Wolverine, claws still unsheathed. But as he glanced up, he saw Cyclops there, hovering above them with a rock-hard, red shell encasing his body. His eyes glowed bright red as he fired another blast beam that came from his eyes. 

Wolverine let out a loud growl of rage, glowering up at Cyclops. “So yer one of the punks who ambushed the professor!” he roared, rising to his feet and leaping as far as he could towards Cyclops. But Cyclops fired another red, optic blast beam, sending him flying backwards again. 

As Cyclops closed in on Wolverine, his optic blasts tearing into his uniform and causing bloody gashes to form, Banshee put his sole focus on finding Black Tom. Black Tom was still desperately trying to tie him and Wolverine up using the vine-like restraints. 

And as Cyclops kept attacking Wolverine, preventing him from pushing forward, he said absolutely nothing. However, even as he did so, he felt highly conflicted about what he was doing. 

‘I don’t want to do this,’ he thought. ‘But it’s necessary. If we’re going to get Lilandra to confess, we can’t have anyone interrupting us.’ 

“AAAARRRRGH!” Wolverine snarled, pushing himself up to his feet before running towards Cyclops again. 

Before Cyclops could fire another blast beam, Wolverine jumped forward and on top of him, sending him crashing down into the ground. Wolverine put both hands around Cyclops’ neck with intent on strangling him. But the shell around Cyclops’ body made him close to invulnerable. Wolverine was caught by surprise when Cyclops punched him in the face, hard. The shell that surrounded his body was rock-hard and very solid, and when it impacted Wolverine’s nose, it caused blood to splatter. 

“You asshole!” roared Wolverine. 

“This isn’t my first choice, either,” said Cyclops, rising to his feet. “But it’s my mission. Back off.” 

Wolverine let out another snarl as he glowered at Cyclops. “Fucking prick!” he said, preparing to wrestle Cyclops once more. “Listen, punk! Yer gonna fucking pay for what you did to the prof!” 

“I didn’t want that to happen!” Cyclops yelled, firing another optic blast. “It was my Goddamn brother’s fault!” 

“Well back the fuck off! I heard yer holding a lady hostage. For that, yer gonna get yer ass whipped, kid!” snarled Wolverine. 

“She committed a crime. She’s coming with us to Chandilar to answer to her treason,” Cyclops said. 

“Maybe she had a damn good reason,” Wolverine said. But as Cyclops prepared to aim another optic blast beam at him, Havok came rushing out of the citadel. Upon seeing what was going on, his face turned into a glare. But just the sight of him pissed off Wolverine. 

Somehow, Wolverine knew this was the kid who shot the professor. 

“You!” he snarled. “You fucking shot the professor! Yer gonna pay for that!” 

“He was in my way,” insisted Havok, his voice cold as he shot a blast of energy towards Banshee. “We don’t need you people in our way. Back off and go back home.” 

“Not our style, punk,” Wolverine snapped. “Don’t mess with the X-Men!” 

Havok fired another blast beam, this one hitting Banshee and sending him flying backwards. However, the Summers brothers were caught by surprise by the sounds of feral snarls filling the air. Seemingly out of nowhere, Wolfsbane came pouncing forward, her teeth bared and claws out before she jumped on Havok, sinking her teeth into his flesh. 

“FUCK!” shouted Havok. “Scott! Get this bitch off me!” 

Wolfsbane snarled louder, her teeth sinking deeply into Havok’s shoulder as her claws scratched his face. That bought Wolverine just enough time to race up to the entrance. Upon entering the citadel, he took off running, avoiding more vines along the way. He dodged Black Tom’s effort’s with ease, slicing his way through vine after vine that followed, until he finally found the room Lilandra was being held in. Kicking the door down, he saw Lilandra sitting in a chair, tied up with a bullet wound in her shoulder. Walking towards her, Wolverine spoke into his communicator. 

“Nightcrawler, teleport into the citadel. I’ve found Lilandra,” he said before slicing his claws through the ropes and handcuffs binding Lilandra to the chair. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked. 

“Charles Xavier called for some help,” said Wolverine as Nightcrawler appeared in the room in a loud bamf. But before Nightcrawler could teleport out, Cyclops and Black Tom came running into the room. 

“You’re not going anywhere, Your Highness,” said Cyclops, preparing to aim another optic blast at her. But he was stopped in his tracks when Lilandra held her hands up. 

“Cyclops!” she said. “Look, I know why you are doing this. But D’Ken is using your loyalty against you. He’s been lying to you for years.” 

“He wouldn’t lie to us! D’Ken saved Alex and I’s lives and took us in! He’s been like a father to us all these years. We won’t just abandon him, or our mission for that matter,” Cyclops said in a heated tone. “I don’t want to hurt you again, Lilandra. But you’d make this easier if you just came with Alex and I. You’ll be able to explain yourself once we arrive on Chandilar. If Alex and I don’t come back with you, it’ll look suspicious.” 

“I know that,” Lilandra said. “But Cyclops, you . . . you _had_ to have felt there was something suspicious. He, my sister, and Gladiator may have saved you that night. But it hadn’t been by coincidence. He wasn’t just in the right place at the right time.” 

Cyclops seemed to stop right in his tracks at Lilandra saying this. “What are you talking about?” he asked her. 

“Think about it, Scott,” pleaded Lilandra. “He just happened to come across you and Alex after the plane crash. Why would he be there? Why would he be on Earth for that matter?” 

“I don’t know . . . there were fugitives trying to hide on Earth. At least that’s what he told us,” Cyclops said, shaking his head. “I just assumed he did it because he wanted to help us.” 

“You joined the Imperial Guard with noblest intent,” said Lilandra. “But was there any part of you that doubted my brother’s actions?” 

Cyclops pondered this, thinking hard about it. He didn’t know why he suddenly had doubts. Whether it was from Lilandra bringing it up, or because of a residual doubt that he’d suppressed, Cyclops didn’t know what to think. Standing there, he lowered his ruby quartz shield from his body, his eyes no longer glowing red. Staring at Lilandra with his blue eyes, he stepped forward. 

“Lilandra, what are you saying?” he asked. 

Lilandra nodded just as Havok came rushing into the room, looking every bit pissed off. “Your Highness,” he said. 

“Alex, no, listen to what she has to say,” said Cyclops. 

“No, Scott! She’s coming back with us. She must face punishment for what she’s done!” spat Havok. 

But before Havok could fire a blast of energy towards Lilandra, they became aware of a bright, fiery aura outside the citadel. The rooftop above them seemed to disintegrate away into ash as they were faced with a fiery Phoenix flying above them. But what was even more shocking was how the Phoenix began to take the form of a stately, redheaded young woman who hovered above in the skies, glancing down at them. 

“The Phoenix Force,” whispered Lilandra. 

“Wait . . . _that’s_ the Phoenix Force?” asked Havok, shocked. 

“It has a host,” whispered Cyclops, feeling a rush go through him as he stared up at the redheaded woman before him. 

Almost instantly, he felt a flood of sensations hit him like a tsunami. It was the most overwhelming flow of emotion he’d never felt before upon looking at someone. But just looking up at the Phoenix’s host, it was as if the world froze before his eyes. 

Jean Grey, who glowed with the aura of the Phoenix, turned her eyes towards Lilandra. 

**_“Lilandra,”_** she said. **_“I thank you for trying to protect my crystal.”_**

“I won’t allow D’Ken to succeed,” said Lilandra. “I knew you were meant to be the Phoenix’s host, Jean Grey.” 

Jean nodded, smiling in appreciation. However, as her eyes turned to glance towards Havok and Cyclops, she sensed something different about the two young men who stood there before her eyes. She could read strong emotions coming from Cyclops, which seemed to burn off him like a roaring fire. 

It surprised her. Never once did she feel such a flood of emotions come from anyone before. Looking inside Cyclops’ mind, she could read emotions of confusion, shock, and surprisingly enough, _attraction._ Lowering herself down, Jean looked in further. With the aid of the cosmic entity that lived inside her, Jean was bombarded with a flood of different images that entered her mind. 

She saw images of Scott as a young child, running through the snowy landscapes of Alaska with his younger brother. Shortly thereafter, she saw images of Scott and his brother being caught in a plane crash, leading to them falling through the air in parachutes and eventually, hitting their heads against a tree. What followed afterwards were images of Scott and Alex awakening from comas on Chandilar, with D’Ken delivering them the news that their parents were dead. 

Then, she saw images of Scott and Alex’s life on Chandilar. She saw them training. She saw them being raised to become soldiers in the Imperial Guard, and how they both grew in the ranks. But the most startling image for her was of Scott stabbing a Skrull, who’d been very pregnant. She could almost hear Scott’s inner thoughts from that night, as though they were echoing in her ears. 

_“I . . . I can’t believe I did that. That’s it . . . I am_ never _doing this again. Because I_ didn’t _have to. I swear . . . I will_ never _take another life. God help me, I will find another way.”_

She could feel every ounce of Cyclops’ remorse and grief from that terrible event. She saw the memory still greatly affected Scott, and how he had PTSD and nightmares. Just reading into his mind regarding that moment, Jean could sense that was why Scott hadn’t shot Lilandra and Charles. It was because the gravity of his actions when he killed that Skrull still left him feeling remorse. It was as if he allowed that moment to weigh him down as he felt more and more guilt. It gnawed at his heart and he found it impossible to forgive himself. 

‘I don’t deserve forgiveness,’ she heard him thinking. ‘I . . . I didn’t give that Skrull a chance. She . . . She had a life inside her. I had no right to take that away. That’s why I refused to harm Lilandra. I don’t want to kill anyone again.’ 

‘But you need to try and forgive yourself,’ Jean told him via telepathy. ‘You aren’t defined by your mistakes, Scott.’ 

Scott seemed to freeze upon hearing her in his head. He looked at her, stunned as Jean inched closer towards him, as if to try offering him comfort.

But then, she also saw a very recent memory of a betrayal. She saw images of him having sex with a woman, and this very woman letting him down by telling him she didn’t love him. She could see and feel just how hurt Scott was over that. Inching closer to Scott, she lowered herself down to the ground before approaching him slowly. 

“Red, what the fuck are ya doing?” asked Wolverine quietly. 

Jean just stared into Scott’s blue eyes, gently reaching a hand forward to touch the side of his face. Looking deeply into his eyes, she saw years of pain, guilt, and anxiety pent up there. Her fingers stroked his face gently as her eyes went back to their normal shade of green with just a subtle hint of fiery embers there. 

**_“Such pain, remorse, and fear there,”_** the Phoenix whispered, her voice coming past Jean’s lips. **_“Yet, I also sense confusion. You aren’t certain of your place. You’re reluctant.”_**

Scott seemed to tremble underneath her gentle touch, his eyes stinging with tears that threatened to shed. 

“I don’t know what the truth is,” whispered Cyclops, his voice trembling. “But I _do_ know D’Ken saved me that night. That should be reason enough for me to trust him, right?” 

**_“A part of you wonders how true that is,”_** said the Phoenix. **_“And you’re trying to suppress that, because it scares you.”_** Her eyes flashed towards Alex, who looked at her in shock. **_“I can tell you’re feeling the same way. You’re comfortable with killing and torture. Yet, you also have remorse. You’re just more willing to do what you deem necessary, even if it’s morally wrong.”_**

Alex trembled in her presence. The fact that the Phoenix – in the form of Jean Grey – didn’t seem angry with them was a surprise. In fact, she looked at them with empathy, kindness, and understanding. Jean then turned her focus back to Scott, whose tears were threatening to spill from his eyes as he doubted everything he’d ever known. 

**_“You’re afraid of walking away from everything you’ve ever known,”_** the Phoenix whispered. **_“It’s all you have left in this world.”_**

Scott nodded, trying desperately to swallow the lump out of his throat. He barely noticed that the Phoenix had telepathically knocked Black Tom Cassidy out in the process of entering the room. As Jean kept on caressing his face, Scott felt his doubts continuously flooding through him. He turned his head away from Jean to look at Lilandra. 

“What really happened that night?” he whispered. “Lilandra, show me, please.”

Lilandra nodded, walking over towards Scott and Alex. Upon feeling her entering their minds, both Alex and Scott were bombarded with a shocking image that overwhelmed their senses. 

First, it was an image of D’Ken sending a laser beam towards the Summers family plane, which caused the wings to catch ablaze. What followed afterwards only hurt further as they were overwhelmed with an image of D’Ken spitting on the dead bodies of their father and mother, calling Katherine Summers a “useless bitch” before he found them, lying there in the snow. 

It was then followed by D’Ken bringing them to Chandilar, and the two brothers being placed into strange tubes for treatment. After that, it was over. 

“No . . . No!” gasped Cyclops, his tears finally spilling over and onto his face as he went down to his knees. “I . . . I can’t believe it! I can’t _fucking_ believe it! But it’s the truth!” 

Havok let out a choked sob as he whispered, “He . . . He killed our parents!” 

“Oh, God! That . . . That son of a _bitch!_ He _knew!_ And he lied to us! I’m gonna _fucking_ kill him!” sobbed Cyclops, choking on his words as he burrowed his face into his hands. He gripped at his hair hard, his body shaking fiercely. His stomach twisted with nausea as he shook his head. But what hurt even more about those flashbacks was that Gladiator and Deathbird both knew. 

For years, D’Ken, Deathbird, and Gladiator had lied to them. The revelation felt worse than a slap on the wrist. And as the two brothers sobbed fiercely for the deaths of their parents who’d been taken away from them, Jean Grey knelt down before Scott and leaned a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

Glancing up at Jean, his eyes were red-rimmed. But Jean’s eyes held compassion as one of her hands cupped his face soothingly. Her eyes were stinging with tears of sadness on Alex and Scott’s behalf. And as Scott looked in her eyes, images overwhelmed his senses once more. He felt Jean’s presence in his mind, breaking past his mental shields as if to communicate with him via telepathy. 

‘I want to show you something, Scott,’ he heard Jean telling him. Her eyes burned with Phoenix fire as she kept her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. The telepathic images being sent into his mind were truly devastating as he saw the extent of Jean’s own pain.

He saw a young Jean Grey coming home to learn that her father had cheated on her mother. He then saw images of a young, redheaded girl, suffering through depression as she heard voices which she didn’t understand. Afterwards, there was a shocking image of the girl watching her sister die in a hit and run. 

Then, there were images of this girl in a mental hospital, being strapped to a table and being given electric shocks each time she heard a voice. But what followed after seemed to be some happier memories. He saw images of her having sex with a man, embracing him in a special way. But that followed by images of her watching her mother wither away to her death, before images of John Proudstar’s death filled his mind. It was unexpected, and for Scott, it caused his eyes to sting with more tears as Jean reached a hand over to stroke his face. 

“You know how I feel?” he whispered. 

Jean closed her eyes before whispering, “I know what everybody feels.” 

Scott closed his eyes, bowing his head as his tears flowed down. He struggled with regaining his composure as he tried to intake deep breaths. Wiping his face, he rose to his feet to face Lilandra. 

“I believe you,” he whispered. “But we still need to go back to Chandilar. If we don’t –” 

“I know,” Lilandra whispered. 

“Vell, you’re not going anyvhere vithout us,” said Nightcrawler, still surprised by what he’d seen. 

Scott shook his head. “No, this is our battle to face. We can handle D’Ken ourselves,” he insisted. 

“No, we won’t let you all go alone,” Jean whispered. “When you’re with the X-Men, you’re never alone. This is our battle, too.” 

Scott glanced at Jean, who still glowed with the Phoenix Force’s aura. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” he asked her. 

“I want to help,” said Jean. “Besides, D’Ken is looking to bond to the Phoenix Force. I think he’d be very disappointed to know the Phoenix has already found a host. Let the X-Men help you.” 

Scott glanced at Alex, who was still on his knees due to the shock of learning the truth. “What do you think, Alex?”

Alex sighed. “After what we just learned, I don’t know if I trust D’Ken anymore. We could use all the help we can get.” 

Scott nodded, turning back to Jean. “We accept your help,” he said. 

Jean’s eyes glowed with Phoenix Fire once more as a white light enveloped them, just as she telekinetically grabbed hold of the M’Kraan Crystal. The sensation of being teleported overwhelmed them all as they felt they were being transported somewhere. None of them knew what was going to come next. But they did know, they had to stop D’Ken before it became too late.

* * *

**Up next: Where No X-Man Has Gone Before**


End file.
